Lakewood names finalists

Lakewood, moving quickly to find a new football coach to replace Otis Dixon, has whittled its list of 41 applicants to 16. They will be interviewed on July 8-9 by a committee made up mostly of school members according to athletic director Javan Turner.

"It was a difficult decision to get to this position," Turner said. "We have a lot of great candidates. Unfortunately, only one can be hired. But we're confident we'll find a great coach."

Ernest Givins is the most recognizable name on the list. A former Spartans star in the 1980s, Givins already is in the school's hall of fame. He was a two-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Oilers and is the team's all-time leading receiver.

Todd St. Louis is the only former head coach from the county on the list. He helped guide St. Petersburg Catholic, Indian Rocks Christian and St. Petersburg to the playoffs during his tenure.

Dieter Brock, a former star in the Canadian Football League who started for the Los Angeles Rams during the 1985-86 season and led them to the NFC title game,  is among the candidates from outside the county. Brock has been coaching the spread offense the past 17 seasons and was an assistant last season at Smith's Station High in Alabama.

The finalists are:

Keith Bland, former assistant, Mosley High
Antez Brinson, assistant coach, Lakewood
Dieter Brock, former quarterback Los Angeles Rams
Dave Cleppe, assistant coach, Gibbs
Matt Dixon, assistant coach, Lake Gibson
Jeremy Frioud, assistant coach, Largo
Anthony Givens, assistant coach, Gibbs
Ernest Givins, former receiver, Houston Oilers
Lance Jenkins, former head coach, Merritt Island
Andy Johnson, head coach, Freedom High (Orlando)
John Launis, assistant coach, Trinity Valley Community College, Tex.
Cory Moore, assistant coach Seabreeze High
Andrew McElvoy, interim coach, York University, Ontario
Derrick Pollack, former coach, Lakewood Jr. Spartans
Todd St. Louis, former coach, St. Petersburg Catholic, Indian Rocks Christian, St. Petersburg
Sam Vinson, assistant coach, Dunedin

Comments

[Roid Rage]

Todd St. Louis helped guide SPHS to the playoffs? Really? Good thing this isn't baseball cuz obviously three strikes doesn't mean ur out!

I hope that Lakewood will give serious consideration to the out of district applicants.

we want the electric slide!

They definitely should not hire anyone who will not be in the building. that would be a critical mistake.

[TheVille]

Frioud is the coach for the job!

I agree, it would be a CRITICAL mistake to hire someone who will not be teaching in the building.

How about Grasso he is the best. All the county principals would like for him to get some coaching experience. Biggest clown in a miget suit.

I heard that Alin Cardin was first asked to take the job.
Cardin could not be reached for comment as he was busy recruiting 8th graders to come to clearwaters

Frioud would make them a consistent playoff team, guaranteed.

[Shaun Kusy]

Lance Jenkins is a quality coach, he has worked for UF and Navy football programs, as well several other high school programs. He is a bit strict and i guess the word would be um... "harsh" for high school football, but definitely a canidate worth taking a serious look at!

[QUEEN]

Frioud as head coach is a joke! Yes, flag football is right up his alley!

Frioud is white.(period)

Frioud is WHITE.(period)

Give the job to Givens. Don't give them a winning High school coach with a proven track record. With all that talent the might start winning titles and making the playoffs. We would not actually want to win. We would like to hire another figurehead black coach.

Black & White should not matter! Just make sure who ever gets the job understands the school, the city, the area, the expense of living & the pay. If they understand this they will probably stay longer then 3 years. The kids deserve some consistency.

Let's make sure it is not a black coach. Pinellas County has had so many. There are so many blacks coaching in Pinellas now it is pathetic. They could only be figure heads because it is no way they know how to coach. Them being black and all.

Corey Moore should get the job. He is a Lakewood Alum. Young. Ties to St. Pete. Great guy! Bring him home

Frioud, will do great as a head coach in P-County.

they are going to interview 16 people? sounds like a pub stunt? each of them gonna get 15 minutes......just tell us who your guy is & save these clowns a bunch of trouble.

[LHS 81]

May the best man get the positon. Personally I like the Givens's brothers, C. Moore and D. Brock. Let's just get the "Wood" back to that winning tradition. Dynasty B-ball and football. Whoa!

Givens. The boys will respect him because he is a former player.

What does Givens teach? According to the state of Florida D.O.E he does not have a teaching certificate.

The school should not hire anyone but a full time teacher who can work at Lakewood.

[JR]

Bring back Bob Stephens!!!!

i bet you want givens huh queen? your name says it all

i would love to see queen tell frioud hes not a real coach. or tell any one boy or girl, that frioud has ever coached that hes not a real coach. i bet they would beg to differ

[Lakewood fan]

Brinson would be the best man for this job because he is also a former player at Lakewood who also played big time football and he knows the Lakewood kids. He is a man of god and well-likes and he is the one who is doing two of days out there right now with the kids. He will have great staff ready to work for him and he young and will bring great intensity to the program.

I am sorry, but did you just say Brinson is a man of God? Apparently you havent heard him and the way he talks to the kids at the field, otherwise you wouldnt have written that. Brinson thinks he is still one of the kids, and by no means has the respect of the kids, rather a liking that one would share with his peers.

They think he is cool sure...he sits around and listens to music with them, watches movies with them in his "classroom", drives them around...all things that "cool" coaches do...not what HEAD COACHES do.

So what are saying that he yell and cusses at the kids becaause I am trying to understand where you coming from, because they are a lot of ways to be a successful coach.

I was commenting on the whole idea of him being such a great "man of God" comment. I dont care if he yells at them, but coaches have been losing jobs for cursing on the field...lets just say I am surprised the entire staff at Lakewood lasted as long as they did.

Sure there are many ways to be successful, but by allowing your players to feel as if they are equal to you as a coach is not one of them. As a head coach you will eventually need to "lay down the law", and if you have allowed the players to feel as if they are on par with you, it would serve as an extremely challenging task.

My son has since graduated from Lakewood, and I wish them all the luck, but Brinson should be on the the bottom of their choices.

[JB]

Bring in Harry Kaminski!

[JR]

Brinson is a wanna be thug. I remember him in high school sucker punching a Dixie JV player before a varsity game and then when approached by the JV kids brother he ran like a little girl.

Lets try something different an hire the guy from Largo. I hear he is good with all the players and parents. Just don't hire a thug, that is the last thing we need.

No thank you - Givens is no way my choice of coaches and Frioud isn't either...do you have anger issues??? Don't let the name fool you - Queen, has been around football since before you were born- I am sure of it.

I don't care if the hired coach is black, white, pink or purple...as long as the job gets done...the right way. The hired coach needs to be a leader for these kids...a man of integrity and show a "class act" at all times. He needs to portray this in the classroom & on the field...these kids need someone that they can look up to and respect.

Givens has connections and he knows how to win as a coach. The main thing besides winning a coach needs to do is get kids in school and he can do that.

[Bernard Reedy Jr.#6]

I play for lakewood football team as i speak.This is going to be my 3rd season (junior) with lakewood.I see alot lies are written in these comments,all i kno is I consider Coach Brinson to be our head coach because of the time,effort,support and Respect he has put into the team.He's been here since my 9th grade year and i've never missed 1 practice,meeting or tag day and he hasn't either.Knowing the game as well as he do and how me and my teammates play is an very important part of Winning.He has all the tools of being a head coach and most importantly the time he has put in for STUDY HALL.He always stress.....Grades are the most important thing. Dnt get me wrong Ernest Givens is a great coach to but coach brinson has connected personally in some of our lives. He's more than welcome to bring along givens lol

[Unknown]

And that's some comment to write about Brinson (JR). This isn't Myspace

Brinson Is My #1 Choice Hands Dwn

If Brinson an offensive or defensive coach?

Brinson is a 26 year old wannabe thug, I will laugh my tail off if they hire Brinson...instant NON-credibility as a program!

Ernest Givins was a great player, but his credibility & reputation in the community would make him a bad hire.

[Vinnie]

I don't care if you're Black, White, Red, Yellow, Mixed whatever.
How can you people be so bigoted?

Lakewood Football needs someone to turn that program around and make it a contender.

Whoever is chosen should be based on their ability, not their race.

[Bernard Reedy Jr is dumb]

What do you learn at lakewood? your message is filled with spelling and grammar errors.

if queen new anything about high school kids and football he would know that frioud is definetly qualified. the guy is a real football coach who loves his kids and does anything for them while still maintaining discipline. that cant be argued. he may not look the role but he sure plays it well

I like the comment from the Lakewood player. Perhaps they can land a coach and a Language Arts teacher. And we wonder why 65% of the Pinellas county grads must take remedial class at Tyrone Tech (St. Pete College) before they can attend a real class.

Frioud may be a little unorthodox in his methods, but he gets results. His players would do anything for him, and he is a quality coach. What did Dixon teach?

Vinnie, Vinnie, Vinnie
No one here makes the rules. It is unwritten in south county that you MUST be a certain race to coach there..
gibbs still don't have a coach and lakewoods.. Gotta be a brother

[Just Want to Know]

Frioud you have to stop selling yourself to this blog and everybody else. It is not cool to sit around and say things about yourself. Largo has been bless with great players and some good coaches. Rodrigues the Offensive cord and the Defensive cord are the main parts of that Largo staff please tell me what do you call or what is your specialty and do you know what the weakness of an cover 4 defense

Vinnie, Vinnie, Vinnie
No one here makes the rules. It is unwritten in north county that you MUST be a certain race to coach there..
clearwater has a coach. pinellas park has a coach... Gotta be a white

P.S. How many black coaches of major athletic programs are there in north county

Good question 7:54
that would be absolutly zero
and with Doc Allen ruining the once prestigious Palm Harbor
answer these issues vinnie.....

Vinny,
what happened to your boyfrien wooden otb. He was the biggest know nothing idiot ever on this blog.
And he sucks at hoops just like his kids

8:00 you are a idiot phu is still the most prestigous school in pine county and Doc Allen is one of the greatest principals that is why they finished with a > 96% graduation rate last year for the kids that started in 2004 compare that with the pinellas average of 72% and that academic program is lead by a black man evidently you were not a student there this blog is about hiring a qualified coach for a high school program not a black coach or a white coach but a qualified coach for a high school program PHU does not only excel in the classroom they do rather well on the athletic arena also p.s. your 15 minute break is over get back to making fries......

[insider]

honestly i hope lakewood can pry bill belicheck away from the patriots. that would be a smart move.

[QUEEN]

Oh just calm down 3:38-we all know Frioud is your buddy...or are you Frioud??? No one ever said you weren't a good coach...and yes, you have been blessed w/ some very good players to help you along the way...it's all good...tell me & everyone else on this blog - why does Frioud want to leave Largo??? He won his district last season & now what??? You would think you had it made at Largo...Personally, I just think there is a better choice for LW...as I said before, I believe a Vinson & Brinson team would be a winner. The bashing of the LW student is quite low...don't you think?? Give the kid a break...at least he is speaking his mind.

What was Doc Allens graduation rate at Gibbs??
Wow, a scarecrow could be principal at Palm Harbor and they would still have 96% grad rate.
Doc Allen is a sputtering uncle tom
Why are you defending that idiot?

The weakness of a cover 4 defense is the flats. Also trips will get a team out of cover 4. In the running game tighten the WRs and have them block the safeties then, you they only have 7 in the box/

haha frioud doesnt even own a computer but yes he is a friend of mine.

[peter rison]

These Athletic Directors, most who have never coached! Need to realize that just because you played in the "NFL" does mean you know how to coach. Color is not the issue. Its imperative for this school and community, that they hire a coach who can edify these young student athletes on how to be successful in and out of the classroom. This county is such a good-old boy system it makes me sick!!

[HS guy]

There is no doubt that most ADs are short-sighted and only care about the "next best thing". It would be nice if schools would start to realize that sometimes success is not overnight and takes time to build.

Unfortunately, the hiring process in Pinellas has been completely about the race of the applicant(s) and eventual hire. This needs to stop.

There are MANY talented coaches in the county that deserve a chance - I hope the admin at Lakewood will choose wisely this time around even though they have already excluded some guys that would have been great (and kept a number that would not!).

Palm Harbor dropped from an A school to a B school, the first year that Doc was principal

One must look at the idiot they put the position of County AD. No one cares about sports in this county. Most prinicipals in charge of athletics could care less and do not want to do the job. Grasso is the worst of all time this guy was a softball coach. Welder where are you.

Somebody knows the bs cowboy of the world Grassasso.

In response to QUEEN. Even if Frioud "has it made" at Largo with a great coaching staff and athletes, did you ever stop to think that maybe he wants to be a head coach? Hes been the varsity d-line coach for 7 years. Hes also the J.V. D.C. taking a winless team to 6-1 the past 3 years in a row. Why would he NOT want to the Lakewood job? As for Just Want To Know, why are you asking the weakness of a cover 4 defense? You must be a kid from Largo that wasn't tough enough to play for Frioud or Largo for that matter.

[QUEEN]

In response to 5:10...I am glad you are supporting Frioud, your buddy...they all need support somehow, someway...they all are wishing for this job, in hopes of bettering themselves...I applaud all who have applied for head coach at LW & all who were chosen for an interview...Good Luck to all & by the grace of God "the best" will be hired, most importantly, for the kids who need a leader of integrity & respect...& for the school.

[Reality]

Jr #6 from Lakewood, please focus on study hall. Your English could use some work. Keep on practicing on here, as you only get better with practice. If you are for the coordinator, then I am for anybody, but him.

QUEEN, why does it matter that he is a "buddy" of mine? Where is the importance of me personally knowing him? Maybe im just a spectator at football games, both varsity and junior varsity, or wrestling meets... Have you ever seen him coach? The intensity and passion he puts into coaching is tops in this county. I do like that you've toned down your attitude towards Frioud but please chill out with your "by the grace of god" and "i applaud all" clearly you dont feel Frioud is good enough so there goes that tiny theory you once had. Looking forward to your next post

[QUEEN]

IN response to 8:32am -It doesn't matter if your Frioud's buddy or if you know him personally or if you are just a spectator watching a high school football game...you are supporting who you believe in & that's all that matters. Speaking of tones - I am glad you have toned down as well. By the way, I never said that Frioud wasn't a good coach...I have always stated that I just felt like there was somebody better for the job. Maybe you should look at the past blogs again...I think you have me confused w/ someone else talking about Frioud.
I will never "chill out" when speaking about "the grace of God" this I stand VERY FIRM in...and I do applaud everyone who applied for this position & who have been chosen to be interviewed...it takes a lot of courage for some people to actually take "that step" w/ confidence to make a change...I know, I have had to do it. And yes, I have seen Frioud coach...like I said before, I never said he wasn't a good coach...because he is.

[July 07, 2008 at 2011]

Regardless of what everyone writes whether it is positive or negative. The AD of Lakewood High School is going to HOPEFULLY, choose the right person for the school, team and community.

This blog has become a damn campaign site. You people are not running for office & the people who read this stuff dont get a vote. The Principal & AD will interview & pick the best guy! thats it! pretty simple! so lets have some faith in the guys that make decisions & be a little more positive.

Where is Vinny to relate his input to the masses?
Vinnie for Coach!

[BB]

I find it very interesting that a student would step out to support his coach and is flooded with so many negative and sarcastic comments. I think it is more important to pay attention to what he is saying because we all know what he meant. I know that this will be a hard decision for the Lakewood staff to make but hopefully they will choose the best person for the job.

And the best person for the job is not the person the student supported...the coach the student supported is a "friend" not a mentor or coach....a BIG difference!

I doubt LW will hire the right person, my faith in Turner is little to none.

As I read the comments I'm really sick that anyone from St. Pete would even have the decency to say give Earnest Givens a job around young men. His reputation is bad enough alone that he should not even have made the final 16 list and you're talking about putting him in a position to have authority over young men. Get a grip. Buying cars and video tapes. What is this world coming to. Enuff is enuff.

We want Jerry Austin!

I will bet a million that the coach will not be Caucasian

[blah]

Cory Moore is the new coach. Lakewood will announce tomorrow.

YOU WOULD BE LUCKY TO GET FRIOUD
THERE ISN'T ANYONE THAT HAS DEALT WITH HIM THAT WILL TELL YOU ANYTHING DIFFERENT
HE IS GREAT
LARGO HOPES TO KEEP HIM HOPEFULLY YOU MAKE THE WRONG CHOICE AND LET HIM GO

rest assured Largo folks, you get to keep your hippie. Try lazer surgery fool, didnt anyone tell you that you would have to get a real job someday?

why is 1:04 being such and idiot.

[Reality]

Hey BB, I am sorry that you feel like the English language is overrated. That is the problem with America, and I am marrying a Lakewood grad, so I know why #6 writes like he does. That school and most of the other ones in the south part of the county need an enema.