Hodges stepping down from Colonial (Orlando) after six seasons

ORLANDO, Fla. – Donny Hodges is hanging up the whistle after tomorrow night when Colonial takes on Lake Buena Vista in their final home game of the year which will conclude six years of being the head coach for the Grenadiers.

Hodges announced on Thursday night via Twitter that he is retiring from coaching after 20 years that have included multiple stops at schools like Freedom (Orlando), Jones (Orlando), Lake Highland Prep (Orlando), and Boone (Orlando).

This marks the fourth known coaching change to go on the 2023 Coaches Moving Van, Powered By The Florida High School 7v7 Association.

In the letter shared on Twitter, Hodges thanked his wife Anna and his sons Trey and Jacks for their support, love, and patience throughout his career while going on to describe his coaching career and thanking many of the coaches that had given him the opportunity to coach with them including former Lake Highland Prep head coach Tim Borcky and current Boone and former Freedom (Orlando) head coach, Andy Johnson.

Love, Trust, and Family Forever! pic.twitter.com/6HPEDAJLad

— Donny Hodges (@DonnyHodges5) November 4, 2022

Hodges stated that coaching the last six years has been a coaching honor and thanked many coaches who worked tirelessly with him to build a program that had fallen on hard times.

One of those many coaches he thanked in his letter was the legendary Bill Gierke who had previous stops including Orangewood Christian (Maitland), Edgewater (Orlando), Dr. Phillips (Orlando), and Evans (Orlando). Gierke has served as Grenadiers’ defensive coordinator for the past two seasons since stepping down as head coach at Orangewood Christian after the 2020 season.

Hodges thanked many others including school administration, boosters, athletic trainers, and current and past players who helped with working to make Colonial a better program.

In six years’ time at Colonial, Hodges has compiled an overall record of 17-39 including the Grenadiers’ first winning season in years with a 5-4 record in his second year as head coach in 2018.

No timeline has been set yet to find and announce Hodges’ replacement.