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Bogart steps down from soccer post
By KEITH NIEBUHR, Times Staff Writer INVERNESS -- Saying he needed a change, Brady Bogart resigned as the Citrus girls soccer coach, ending one of the county's most successful tenures. "I thought about it, and I'm ready to move on," Bogart said. "The only tough part of the decision is the girls. The girls are very special. They were a family to me. "I told them they were my daughters, since I didn't have any, and that I'd take care of them. I told their parents I'd take care of them 2-3 hours a day. And they took care of my (three boys). They'd stay after the games and play with them. "That's what you'll miss. The best part about the job was the girls." The 31-year-old Bogart coached the Citrus baseball team last spring after Mike Taylor resigned suddenly in mid-season. But Bogart was not retained, as the school instead chose Jon Bolin two weeks ago to fill the post. Bogart, a Citrus graduate and longtime Taylor assistant, said he was not granted an interview. "I was told (by school administrators) that I wasn't ready to be a head coach, which I didn't understand," Bogart said. "I coached girls soccer for six years, and they've been great. The relationships with the parents have been great. I thought it was a very structured and disciplined environment." Bogart, who teaches health at the school, will continue working with the football team as an offensive line coach. "Brady started the program and has done a wonderful job," Citrus athletic director Vicki man said of the soccer position. "We're more disappointed than anything. We hate to lose him." In Bogart's six seasons, the Hurricanes went 115-23-11, won six Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championships and four district titles. Citrus was not beaten by a county opponent until Lecanto knocked off the 'Canes in last season's district final. Nearly half of Citrus' defeats under Bogart came in 1997, the program's second year. "I don't think any school in the county has done what we did," he said. "Definitely not at this school." Bogart was blessed with numerous all-area players, including Amber Presnick, a three-time Times All-Citrus/Hernando Player of the Year. He stressed fundamentals and tried to keep things simple, a formula that led the Hurricanes to five playoff appearances. "I'm surprised," Lecanto coach Kevin Towne said. "He's put some good years together, and I know he really enjoyed doing that. "Citrus was always fundamentally sound. And although he had really outstanding players to build around, he had well-balanced teams. He knew how to coach superstars to get them to gel with everybody else." -- Keith Niebuhr can be reached at 860-7337 or niebuhr@sptimes.com.
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