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Central still in search of coachesBy GREG AUMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, When Vic Cervizzi decided to step down as boys coach at Central in the spring, he hoped to find a successor committed enough to the sport to pick up where he left off in building the Bears' program. Three months later, a coach who accepted the position has decided not to take it, leaving the job unfilled as a new school year fast approaches. "We're going to wait and see on it," said Cervizzi, who remains Central's athletic director and boys cross country coach. "I've been doing this long enough to know what to look for." Cervizzi -- who also must find a girls coach -- thought he had an able successor for the boys in Tim Byrne, the coach at Lecanto for 10 seasons before moving to New York last year. Byrne, seeking to return to the area, accepted the Central job early in the summer but recently called the school to say he would instead be accepting a teaching position in Citrus County. Citrus High athletic director Vicki Overman said Tuesday that Byrne had accepted a teaching job, but she had not discussed any coaching vacancies with him. The Hurricanes return longtime boys coach Tom Darby, but Overman said girls coach Bob Goddard is taking a year off from track. Cervizzi did not rule out returning to coach the Bears again but said he was most concerned with putting the program in the right hands. "I spent 13 years building up the program," said Cervizzi, who led Central to a cross country state title in 1996. "I want someone who's going to continue building on the program, not just someone who will take over just to take over. I want a quality coach." Beyond the two track vacancies, Central's only openings are for a junior varsity football coach and an assistant swimming coach. Julie Withington, the Bears' head swimming coach for six seasons, said in March she was taking a year off to spend more time with her family. But Withington has since said she will return to coach Central this season.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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