Boone football coach Andy Johnson steps down, says \u2018It\u2019s just time\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n The departures made for opportunity for a pair of first-time head coaches, which a theme this year. There will be eight new coaches in the area for the upcoming season, and seven are taking head coaching positions for the first time.<\/p>\n For Caleb Walls, it was simple. He always looked up to Wells<\/a>, his coach at Dr. Phillips when he was a young Panther (2013-16), and Walls just wanted to be like Wells. In February, DP made Walls the youngest head coach in Orange County at 27.<\/p>\n Walls joined new Mount Dora head coach Jacob Lobb and new Orange City University High coach Bailey Skelley, both also 27 at the time of their hiring, as the youngest coaches in the Orlando area.<\/p>\n The youngest coach ever hired locally was Zach Barrett, who was 25 when Orlando University High tapped him in 2021. He coached for one season.<\/p>\n The other first-time head coaches among Orange County Public Schools are Charles Sprenkle at Boone and Ashton Watts at Wekiva.<\/p>\n Other first-time coaches hired in the area are Brandon Bristow at Legacy Charter School and Tanner Harris at Eustis and Bailey Skelley.<\/p>\n The veteran among coaches hired this year is Jermel Jones, who takes over at Orangewood Christian. He had previous stints at The Master\u2019s Academy, Lyman and a private school in Tennessee.<\/p>\n Orlando-area 2026 spring football game schedules<\/a><\/p>\n Walls had already been on the DP staff, so players are familiar with him, as well as new offensive coordinator Darryl \u201cRay Ray\u201d Monroe, who played at DP and Olympia. Monroe, a star linebacker at Washington State, coached quarterbacks last year.<\/p>\n Walls has the luxury of a returning quarterback who took 50% of the snaps a year ago in sophomore Tien Williams, a promising youngster who knows the system.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fun. It comes with its ups and downs and there is a different side that I had never seen,\u201d Walls said. \u201cThe kids make it easy, they\u2019re all supportive and the coaches are supportive, so it\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Walls knows the DP tradition and wants to uphold expectations for a school that is always in the playoff mix, having missed the playoffs only once since Wells took over in 2011.<\/p>\n Dr. Phillips stays in house, hires Caleb Walls, 27, as new football coach<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe always talk about the standard. Wells set the standard, and we\u2019re just gonna keep building,\u201d Walls said of his former coach, who won the Class 7A state title in 2017. \u201cWe all know what the expectation is when we walk in this weight room and locker room and when we take the field.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we know what we have to do and there is no pressure at all. It\u2019s just another day at Dr. Phillips High School.\u201d<\/p>\n Lobb came to Mount Dora from Oakton (Virginia), where he served many roles, including offensive coordinator. He was looking to get out of northern Virginia due to the high cost of living and found the position at Mount Dora suitable to his needs.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited to get going. We\u2019ve been in spring ball and we\u2019ve got about 65, almost 70 kids out there and we\u2019re still missing a few who are wrapping up their spring sports seasons,\u201d Lobb said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a very young team and a lot of young talent, and if they stay together and stay at this school for the next two to three years, they can really blow up.\u201d<\/p>\n Skelley comes to Orange City from Mill Creek in Hoschton, Georgia., where he was an assistant for the past five seasons.<\/p>\n Spring football games begin on Wednesday<\/a> of next week with two events. St. Cloud will host a three-team jamboree with South Lake and Viera, while Timber Creek will be at Poinciana.<\/p>\n Sprenkle, 31, a former UCF lineman who was on Johnson\u2019s staff at Boone, has familiarity with the players, so the transition has been somewhat seamless. He returns veteran Charles Nassar as his defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n \u201cThe one thing that has stayed the same has been the excitement,\u201d Sprenkle said. \u201cThese guys came out here Day 1 and were very excited to get back at it. We got into the nitty gritty of things, and they came back out hungry in Day 2.\u201d<\/p>\n Boone loses some key players, including third-year starting quarterback Sam Johnson, leading rusher Aaron Hardy, highly touted offensive lineman Rhys Woodrow and leading defenders Noah Maddux and Will Buzyniski.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of them are starting to realize, like, \u2018Holy hell, I\u2019m stepping in for Rhys Woodrow,\u2019 for instance, and \u2018Now everything is relying on me. I\u2019m the guy now,\u2019 \u201d Sprenkle said. \u201cIt\u2019s been kind of fun to see them be like, \u2018OK, I know what I\u2019m doing. Let\u2019s do this.\u2019<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/caleb-walls.jpg\")
Former Dr. Phillips player Caleb Walls, 27, takes over as the new head football coach at DP, his first head coaching position. (Chris Hays\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n![\"Charles](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/charles-sprenkle.jpg\")
Charles Sprenkle, 31, takes over as the new head football coach at Boone High. (Chris Hays\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n