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McDermott steps up at Zephyrhills
By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
Matt McDermott has spent the past seven seasons as assistant wrestling coach at Zephyrhills, so his announcement as the Bulldogs' new head coach should make for a nearly seamless transition. "I don't foresee a lot of changes in the program," said McDermott, 36, a science teacher at Zephyrhills who takes over after Kevin Epifanio stepped down last month. "Our work ethic should be the same, and hopefully our success, because Kevin and I had our coaching styles come together a lot in the last seven years." The Bulldogs won a district title this spring but graduate three standouts in two-time state champion Shane Hand and state qualifiers Doug Burden and Nick Spine. Athletic director Craig Milburn said he expects McDermott to continue the standard Epifanio set for the program, which won three district titles and had three individual state champions in his 11 years as coach. "Coach Epifanio ran an excellent program, and a large part of that success was the strong help from Coach McDermott," Milburn said. "I have no problem letting Matt step in and take over." The cupboard is hardly bare. Among the returning wrestlers are Randy Mueller and Marvin Johnson, district champions at 112 and 130 pounds, respectively, and all-Sunshine Athletic Conference selections Nathaniel Darrough (152) and Josh Calhoun (103). Taking McDermott's post as assistant coach will be Troy Hochstetler, 34, who was a volunteer with the Bulldogs from 1997-2001 and spent last season as the assistant at Wesley Chapel. The county's supplement for head wrestling coach was $1,743 in 2002-03, with assistant coaches earning $1,349. Zephyrhills still must find two assistants for its football staff to replace Brian Matthews and Jeff Bush.
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