Lavelle out, Blatch in for the South Fork Bulldogs
STUART, Fla. (BVM) — Since 1999, the South Fork football program has had a member of the Lavelle family on its sidelines, coaching in some capacity. Now, when the Bulldogs hit the field for the 2021 season, that 22-year legacy will have come to an end.
Mike Lavelle, the head coach since 2015, has decided to step down. Since taking the lead job from his father Dennis in 2015, Mike has gone 22-35. The last couple of seasons have played a heavy role in the sub-.500 record, as they had brought about some unique troubles. Considering the loss of a close family member and the COVID-19 pandemic, football was something that was taking a back seat.
Lavelle will remain at the school as a teacher, fulfilling his passion of educating the next generation, and the football team will be taken over by Antwan Blatch, who was Lavelle’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons. Blatch is actually a South Fork graduate who has been coaching elsewhere in the area for the past 11 seasons, making multiple stops.
Blatch will have the program in good hands, as in the past, he has been contacted by multiple area athletic directors to fill their open head coaching positions. The highly-thought of new head coach will be looking to turn things around now for the Bulldogs who were just 1-6 last season.
