High School

Josh Smithers Steps Down As Sarasota Riverview's Head Football Coach

According to a post via the Rams' official football Instagram, Smithers announced his resignation on Tuesday morning after eight seasons at the helm

Andy Villamarzo

Riverview High head coach Josh Smithers puts his athletes through drills on Monday. Fall football practice resumed on Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. Riverview Football Practice 001
Riverview High head coach Josh Smithers puts his athletes through drills on Monday. Fall football practice resumed on Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. Riverview Football Practice 001 / Mike Lang via Imagn Content Services, LLC

After eight seasons at the helm, Josh Smithers has decided it was time to step away at Sarasota Riverview High School.

According to a Instagram post by the official Sarasota Riverview Rams' football handle, Smithers announced that he was stepping down as the program's lead man. Smithers steps away after eight seasons as the head coach, compiling an overall record of 66-33 from 2017-2024.

Smithers took over as the head coach at Sarasota Riverview back in 2017 and started his tenure off with a bang, posting an 11-2 record in his first season. From 2017-2021, the Rams won no less than nine games every season, qualifying for the postseason every year he was the head coach.

Other than a 5-7 finish in 2022, Sarasota Riverview hadn't faced another losing campaign until this past 2024 season. The Rams fell to 4-6, falling in the opening round of the Class 7A playoffs against Plant City, 47-28.

It looked like a promising season was on the horizon back in the spring when the Rams took on Bishop Verot and Columbus in a 3-team jamboree down in Fort Myers. Sarasota Riverview defeated Columbus and lost to Bishop Verot in the scrimmage, with the program being lauded as one of the teams to watch for on the South Suncoast.

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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.

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