Jim Phelan back coaching, gets job with Saint Stephen’s

Jim Phelan, who was the defensive coordinator on Manatee High’s last state championship team in 2011, has been hired to coach linebackers at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School.

He had been out of coaching for about a year after leaving Manatee one season following Joe Kinnan’s departure. Phelan is considered one of the best defensive minds in the area and was in charge of the defense during Kinnan’s highly successful run in his second stint at Manatee.

He gets to be with a team that is one of the best football programs in the Sunshine State Athletic Association and one of the most exciting players in the area in quarterback Fred Billy.

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Steve Gulash, another former Manatee football coach, is running the football programs for the local YMCA in Manatee County sharing his knowledge to help up and coming coaches.

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Manatee High product Greg Reeves is getting rave reviews at USF. He was named Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year for the Bulls last season as a walk-on and has put himself in a position to possibly get a scholarship, according to defensive coordinator Ray Woodie.

“Greg needs to continue to work hard and apply himself and be consistent. We are thinking about using him at defensive end or linebacker,” Woodie said.

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Florida High School football turns 109 years old this year. Manatee played its first game in 1914 and, according to legend, won the mythical state championship in 1915 when it went 9-0 and outscored its opposition 211-0. That would give the Canes six state titles.

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Looking forward, here is a look at the upcoming season.

Team on the Rise: Southeast (Noles seemed poised to rise out of mediocrity with a good defense and new head coach Rashad West running the show).

Best Name: Knowledge McDaniel (Braden River and running back): C’mon can you top that. His knowledge of football is vast, which is why he is a multipurpose player who is going to be used as a linebacker and receiver this year.

Sleeper: Alex Taylor (Southeast quarterback). First season of football, but at 6-5 with a strong arm and athleticism that he displayed on the basketball court he has the skills to jettison up the college recruiting ranks and is the reason Southeast is a team on the rise.

Best Atmosphere: This is a tough one. But if forced to narrow it down to two, we have to go with Manatee and Braden River. Manatee has the tradition and biggest following in the area, but Braden River has the most rabid fans, who can make for a raucous night at the Pirates den.

Best Independent Player: Fred Billy (Saint Stephen’s quarterback) he has the name and the fame.

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Trevon Walters getting dismissed from the Missouri football team for allegedly stealing a credit card and fraudulently using it is a tragedy in many ways. Not to make excuses for the 21 year-old, but his home life during his days at Manatee was far from stable growing up without a father and often having to find places to live.

Walters is not the first Manatee County player to get thrown out of Missouri. In 2000 Southeast standout receiver Travis Garvin was dismissed for violating team rules.

This story was originally published August 18, 2016 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Jim Phelan back coaching, gets job with Saint Stephen’s."