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Cougars coach resigns

After nearly 15 years on the sidelines, Joe Ionata is returning to the competitive field -- but in business, not football.

The Countryside coach is leaving after three seasons and a 14-19 record. In 2000, Ionata led the team to its first district title and playoff win. Last season, the Cougars were 3-7.

"I jumped into coaching out of college at a very high level, did a lot of things that I wanted to do," Ionata said. "I felt it was time to move on."

Ionata, 36, will work in sales for AstraZeneca, an international pharmaceutical company with offices in Tampa. The 1984 Dunedin graduate said he will not be moving, which was one of the attractions in a job he began to consider last year.

"A friend of mine approached me several times in the spring and summer (last year), and I told them I would probably be ready by the end of this season," Ionata said. "It was an offer too good to pass up."

Ionata, who played on the offensive line at Florida State, came to Countryside from Clemson, where he was an offensive assistant coach. He also worked at the University of West Alabama and two high schools in Georgia.

At Countryside, he brought stability to a program that had three coaches in four years before his arrival.

Countryside athletic coordinator Liz Collins said interviews for a new coach will begin in April. Ionata, a driver's education teacher at the school, earned $36,488 in base salary and football coach supplements.

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