Kitchie adds Lima to staff at Leto

Posted Jul 25, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Jul 26, 2012 at 12:33 AM

Matt Kitchie added another well-known name to his list of assistant football coaches at Leto on Tuesday when he brought aboard former Brandon head coach John Lima to guide the Falcons’ linebackers.

Kitchie said once he learned Lima had landed a teaching position at Leto, he knew he needed to find a place for him on his coaching staff. Lima coached Brandon the past six seasons, compiling a 31-35 record. He was a two-time winner of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame’s Coach of the Year Award and his teams made the playoffs four times.

All that said, Kitchie said what impressed him most was what Lima stressed in their first face-to-face meeting.

“The first thing John started talking about was academics and that’s what we want to win at Leto,” Kitchie said. “With his experience and knowledge as a former head coach, it’s a great addition to our staff.”

That staff also includes former Tampa Bay Tech offensive coordinator Mo Harris, who was a star running back at Jesuit and Hillsborough and went on to coach the position at Plant, and former Gaither High wide receiver and track star Torrey Esalomi, who played defensive back and kick returner for the University of Massachusetts. Later Tuesday, Kitchie announced Harris would become Leto’s defensive coordinator/secondary coach this season.

Lima said he is looking forward to his return to coaching at this level.

“It’ll be a breath of fresh air to be able to focus on a small group again,” Lima said. “As a head coach, you don’t always get to have that one-on-one experience coaching individual players. This is something I know I’ll enjoy.”