When Jake Owens left his position as head coach of Space Coast High's football team in 2017, he ended his time there as the programs most winning coach. Seven years later, Owens returns to the sidelines with the Vipers after being hired as head football coach for the 2024 season.
A family matter brought Owens back to Brevard and Space Coast High as a teacher last fall. During that time, he was not yet ready to be a coach, but once the school year concluded, he was looking to get back on the field.
Owens mentioned the support he received from the faculty and staff at Space Coast over the past year, along with the chance to pick up where he left off in 2017 as something that went into his decision to become Space Coast's head coach once again.
"I was waiting to see what was going to open up around the county, and when Space Coast opened up, I wasn't expecting it," Owens said. "The thought of coming back to Space Coast and renewing the glory days was appealing and intriguing to me."
2024 Football: Official practices open Monday. Follow 321preps.com and @321preps for news, video and photos.
Owens left Space Coast in 2017, and he served as head coach of Palm Bay's football team for two seasons before leaving to coach football at Scott High School in Taylor Mill, Ky.
With the 2024 football season quickly approaching its start date, Owens has already began building the program his way.
One of the first things Owens did to work toward reviving the Vipers' glory days was establish a staff of coaches that he felt shared the same mentality as him. He highlighted that his coaching staff would include a mix of coaches that either previously coached or played for him at Space Coast.
"Number one, I surrounded myself with an incredible staff," Owens said. "I kept a couple coaches from the previous staff, and then I was able to bring back a couple of coaches that I coached with at Space Coast in the past. I added former Space Coast players that played for me and understand what it takes to win there. So, I'm excited about the coaching staff."
The next thing he did was use spring practice to learn more about his players, and he quickly saw that the team has a group of seniors that bring experience along with some young talented players who will be important to the future of the team. He, too, noticed the team had a strong pride for Space Coast and was ready to do the work in practice.
There was also a noticeable increase in numbers, with the team having around 30 players in the spring last year, while this year he had more than 60 players by the time of the spring game.
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"The players walked in from day one and immediately bought into what we are trying to do," Owens said. "We have great kids with great character, and they stuck around and want to see Space Coast get back on the map."
As far as the expectation for his first season back at Space Coast, Owens believes the program will experience a quick positive turn around this season. No longer a member of an FHSAA district, the Vipers compete in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.
"I know what it takes to win there. My record speaks for itself with not only winning but getting kids to the next level," Owens said. "I coached in this county for two decades, so to bring back those high standards and the understanding that we are taking the field to win and build great characters kids on the on field and leaders in the classroom."
With him being back in charge of the Vipers for the upcoming season, Owens emphasized he is looking to take the program to the next level, not just for the school but for the community as well.
"Stepping on the field for the spring game was like being back at home, and that meant a lot. I always loved the Port St. John community, and I spent a lot of time here and had great seasons, so just coming back and restoring that was an exciting opportunity," Owens said.
2024 Football: Official practices open Monday. Follow 321preps.com and @321preps for news, video and photos.
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