Wellington High School finds new football coach in Orlando native Danny Mendoza

Wellington High School has found its new football coach, hiring Orlando native Danny Mendoza, the school announced Thursday. Mendoza was an assistant for the 2019 Class 7A state runner-ups, Apopka High. This is his first high school head coaching job.

Mendoza replaces Tom Abel, who resigned in January after winning over 50 games in nine seasons as head coach of the Wolverines.

Mendoza has also spent time coaching high school football in New Jersey, where he was the offensive coordinator at Red Bank Regional for five years, helping guide the school to two state semifinals and one state championship appearance. After spending 2019 as the wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator at Apopka, which lost to Miami-Columbus in the state championship, Mendoza left Orange County and returned to New Jersey as an offensive coordinator at JFK Memorial High School in Iselin. 

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However, his 2020 season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are thrilled to welcome Danny Mendoza to Wellington High School," Wellington athletic director Robert Callovi said in a press release. "His coaching background at Red Bank and Apopka have prepared him to be an impactful leader for our football players. We are excited about the energy Coach Mendoza will bring to our football program and our student-athletes to prepare them for success both on and off the field."

Mendoza graduated from Orlando-Colonial before playing college football at Kean College in Union, New Jersey. Wednesday, Mendoza met the Wellington players and parents.

"It’s an honor to be named the head football coach here at Wellington High," Mendoza said. "I think Wellington is the best job in the state. There is great community support, great administration, great athletes, amazing facilities and second-to-none academics, which we will make a priority, and people will see an exciting level of football that’s coming to the area."