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Chiles High School names Bill Ragans as new interim head coach

Lawton Chiles High School is moving forward with a familiar face to lead its football program. On Monday, Chiles' athletic director Mike Eto announced that the school is naming longtime assistant coach Bill Ragans to lead the team this upcoming season.

The former Florida State safety has not led a high school football team in over a decade, but Eto says the way Ragans bonds with kids is what led to the interim position.

“Bill has been around Chiles for six years and he has been a fantastic coach and teacher, says Eto. "Really his rapport with the team, all the teachers on staff; it’s really going to work well for our football program.”

Ragans takes over from former head coach Kevin Pettis. He was recently removed from his position after an investigation found he violated the district’s ethics code by berating some players and staff.

Eto says a final decision on whether Ragans will remain head coach will be made after the season.

The Timberwolves face off against Wakulla High School in their season opener on August 28th.

Adrian Andrews is a multimedia journalist with WFSU Public Media. He is a Gadsden County native and a first-generation college graduate from Florida A&M University. Adrian is also a military veteran, ending his career as a Florida Army National Guard Non-Comissioned Officer.

Adrian has experience in print writing, digital content creation, documentary, and film production. He has spent the last four years on the staff of several award-winning publications such as The Famuan, Gadsden County News Corp, and Cumulus Media before joining the WFSU news team.