Benedict Hyppolite Named Hallandale Head Coach; Johnson Resigns At Killian

SFHSSports: Twitter | Facebook

The coaching carousel continues to turn.

SFHSSports learned late Monday night that Hallandale has named Benedict Hyppolite its new head football coach.

Hyppolite, who turns 26 Tuesday, replaces Dameon Jones – who stepped down this past December.

While he'll be among the youngest head coaches in South Florida, Hyppolite's resume speaks volumes to his experience.

He served as offensive coordinator and play-caller at Miami Booker T. Washington this past season under Earl Tillman, helping the Tornadoes win the Class 4A state title – the school's fourth consecutive championship.

Hyppolite also served as offensive coordinator at Miami Edison during the 2014 season. And prior to that, he spent three seasons as a wide receivers coach at Booker T. from 2010 to 2013.

He also has a total of five championship rings on his hand – two as an athlete at Booker T. (one track and one football) – and three football championships as a coach, including a mythical national championship in 2013.

Hyppolite, known for his fiery demeanor on the field, said he's bubbling over with excitement for the new opportunity.

"I'm so appreciative for the opportunity that Hallandale has given me," Hyppolite said. "I can't wait to continue to work with the young men and build champions. I want to continue to the success that the school and community of Hallandale has enjoyed over the years."

The Chargers enjoyed its best football season in school history this past year, reaching the region 4-5A final after defeating Plantation American Heritage and being the No. 1 ranked team in the state of Florida at one point during the regular season.

That team, however, was senior-laden – 33 graduates – and Hyppolite will need to hit the ground running to coral the kids back inside the program.

"I want to make sure that the kids respect the process," Hyppolite said. "I know that there were a lot of kids to graduate off of last year's team and I know of the challenges ahead. But I want the guys to be focused on 'winning the day'. We'll have a lot of young guys that'll have plenty of opportunities in front of them. It's a 'next man up' mentality."

Hyppolite, who said former University of Miami running backs coach Tim "Ice" Harris Sr. and current Florida International University running backs coach Tim Harris Jr. are both mentors of his, worked under the father-son combo at Booker T. Washington.

"I've been waiting on the chance to be a head coach my whole life," Hyppolite said. "Coach Ice is the reason I am a high school coach. The whole Harris family has always been in my corner. They taught me so much about the game, about coaching and about being a mentor to the kids. They're the reason I'm continuing my career."

"Also, Coach [Earl] Tillman gave me my dream job to be an offensive coordinator…he allowed me to grow as a play caller and as a coach," Hyppolite added.

Though Hyppolite's roots run deep in Miami-Dade County, he knows that Hallandale has a rich history of its own – having a pair alumni playing in the professional ranks in offensive lineman Davin Joseph and receiver Frankie Hammond Jr.

"I want to open the doors at Hallandale. I want the community involved as much as possible," Hyppolite said. "This is their school. I want to build those relationships with the community. I want the alumni to come back and I want to build the relationships with those guys. And our goal is to win state championships."

Johnson Resigns At Killian

According to the Killian football team Twitter account, Cory Johnson was "forced to resign" from the position as head coach.

Johnson, a Killian alum, went 41-15 over the past five seasons and led the Cougars to the region 4-8A final two seasons ago.

According to the tweet, "the administration felt a new direction was needed."

Calls to Killian's principal Magda Pereira and athletic director Ken Floyd were not returned.