Wyndell "Chop" Alexander Named Hernando High Head Football Coach After Impressive Interim Run

Veteran Citrus County coach earns promotion following John Scargle’s resignation; aims to build disciplined, hard-working program at Hernando

Hernando High athletic director Jeff Laing, left, shakes hands with new head football coach Wyndell "Chop" Alexander. / Hernando High Athletics Facebook page

Hernando High Promotes Alexander to Head Coach

On Monday, Hernando High School officially announced a move anticipated since John Scargle’s surprising resignation in the middle of spring football practice last month.

Wyndell “Chop” Alexander, who finished the spring as interim head coach after Scargle stepped down to accept a coaching job at Westminster College in Pennsylvania, had the interim tag dropped by the school.

“HHS is proud to announce the selection of our new head football coach, Wyndell ‘Chop’ Alexander,” Hernando High posted on its athletic social media pages. “Coach Alexander has made an impact at HHS in his short time as an assistant and we are proud to have him and his staff take over for the 2025 campaign. We look forward to great things. Congratulations Coach!!!”

Citrus County Veteran Brings Winning Pedigree

Known to many as Chop or Coach Chop, Alexander has been a mainstay on the Citrus County football scene, having coached at all three public high schools in that county. He was head coach at Lecanto for three seasons from 2020-22, leading the Panthers to a 16-14 record and their first playoff victory in 2022.

Last year he served as defensive coordinator at Crystal River under former Hernando High head coach Bill Vonada, helping the Pirates win a district championship.

Leadership, Energy and Player Connection

“First of all he’s got an energy,” Vonada said of Alexander last summer. “He’s got a great relationship with the players. You watch him in the weight room and understand, ‘Oh, I’ve been doing this for a while. I’m comfortable in there. I know what it takes.’ I watched him for five minutes in the weight room and said, ‘Oh, this guy’s special.’ And you always knew it hearing about it, but watching his interaction and his leadership with the young guys, it’s really refreshing.”

Alexander has also excelled as a weightlifting coach, leading the Citrus High boys to a state championship in 2019.

Track Record of Success in Weightlifting and Football

With a new coaching staff coming in at Crystal River following Vonada’s retirement, Scargle brought in Alexander to join his staff as defensive coordinator earlier this year. When Scargle left Hernando, a team that went 6-4 last season, he publicly endorsed Alexander as his replacement.

“He’s on campus. The kids love him. He’s really good. He has a ton of experience,” Scargle said of Alexander. “He’s been working with the back end, the linebackers and the secondary. He was a great addition this offseason to our program.”

Endorsed by Scargle After Spring Coaching Stint

Last month, Alexander coached the Leopards in a spring game at Fivay, which resulted in a 48-14 loss. Still, he made his case for getting the full-time head coaching gig.

“There’s a lot to work out as far as the Xs and Os go, but as far as the buying in with the discipline, there was a lot of chirping back and forth. I thought our kids did a good job of not retaliating,” Alexander said after the game. “We’ve made major moves as far as discipline. I’m doing a better job tracking grades and making sure the kids are there for attendance. Kids are being very receptive to all these things because they all want to play.

“Let’s focus on the foundation. I feel like that’s the foundation right now and everything else is going to come. We’re going to start putting together and polishing the scheme. We’re going to get together as coaches over the summer, we’re going to polish everything up and we’re going to be way more cohesive in the fall if they decide to make that move.

Building a Foundation Through Discipline and Effort

“… Once the kids understand the system and understand what I’m asking for them to do, it’ll fall into place. Rome wasn’t built in a day and we’re not going to be a world-beating football team in three weeks of spring. It’s going to take time, and I’m willing to step in and put the time in. I don’t shy away from hard work and I guarantee if they do decide to make the move there’s not going to be any team that’s going to work harder than these young men.”

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.

---

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App