Ridaught: Former Gator Hank Rone back in the orange & blue

It’s only fitting that Hank Rone is back in the orange and blue.

The former University of Florida football player is the new head volleyball coach at Branford High School this year.

“I am so excited to be at Branford,” said Rone, who had previously been the head coach at Newberry for the past six seasons. “The players have bought into our philosophy, have been working hard and are just some great young athletes. My coaching staff is really great, and we are all on the same page. We are excited to get the season started.”

Branford Athletics Director Bill Wiles said Rone was the first person he spoke to when the position became available.

“I’ve known Hank a long time and I’m connected to Hank and his family in several ways, connections that go back a long time,” Wiles said. “Hank is a great human being. A good man. He just happens to be arguably one of, if not the best, volleyball coaches in our area. It’s also about fit. Hank fit us and we fit Hank.”

Last year under former head coach Lachelle Sikes, the Branford volleyball team won its first state title in program history.

Wiles said for a long time it didn’t seem like it was going to work out. They advertised the job and actively searched for “a quality person that fit us, that would take care of our kids, that had a proven background.”

Then, in the 12th hour, things changed when Rone became available. Wiles said he believes everything happens for a reason.

“Hank applied for the job,” he said. “Hank is a highly qualified, proven commodity. We searched, talked to a lot of people and interviewed. We hired the most qualified and best fit for our kids. Our kids are excited and our parents are excited. I hope Hank stays here a long time. I’m looking forward to watching our girls compete.”

The feeling is mutual.

“Coach Wiles really came after me pretty hard and convinced me this was where I needed to be,” said Rone, who really wanted to get back in the Rural classification. “He was 100% correct. Being back in a town like Branford, I believe sports and the school are the lifeblood of the community. I began my coaching career at Trenton High. The support from the community in the rural environment is amazing.”

Rone said that in the very first junior varsity football game he coached in at Trenton, the stands were packed.

“You walk into a gym in a rural school, and it is packed,” Rone said. “Excited to be at Branford and the coaching staff I brought in is amazing.”

Assistant Jaelyn Jackson has some head coaching experience and Rone has known her for 12 years. She is joined by former Branford volleyball player Kinleigh Collins and Amanda Clark, the girls weightlifting coach.

Rone used to play in front of big crowds as a punter for the Gators in the late 80s.

He said the three things that he will remember the most about UF is “the brotherhood, the coaches, and running out onto Florida Field.”

“I love that the Gators do alumni reunions,” Rone said. “I don’t get to go to all of them because of volleyball, but I am excited to go this season. As you get older, it just means more. What is fun for me is seeing some of my old teammates and some players I grew up watching as a kid. You never forget the guys.”

Rone said that Charlie Strong and Red Anderson had a huge impact on who he is as a coach and a person when he was a Gator.

“The best thing coaches do is impact you as a young person,” Rone said. “Some of those talks outside of the game and just on life choices made a huge impact on me. I am forever grateful for how they impacted me. Every time you run out onto Florida Field to start a game is an unbelievable adrenaline rush. The fans are the best in the nation and it is louder than any stadium I have played at.”

You might ask how the punter for the Gators came to be a volleyball coach.

Dee Edwards, Terry Moody, and his daughters are pieces to that puzzle which began when he started rec ball in 2011.

“Dee had to miss a game and Terry told her I played a lot of sports and coached also at Trenton High School,” Rone said. “I stood in for one game, went 1-0, and said I am done. But Coach Dee had other plans and I became her assistant.”

Then, a couple of years later, Dixie County (Cross City) and Sherrod Mosley found him and taught him the knowledge of the game.

“I started coaching with them at GBV and at Newberry with Sherrod,” Rone said. “I just fell in love with the game and the athletes. I believe God called me back to coaching these young ladies and I have enjoyed every minute.”

His daughter, Hannah Rone, played for him from 2019-22. She contributed to his 100 career wins, which he achieved last October with a sweep of Palatka in the Class 3A-District 5 Semifinals.

Two days later, the Panthers (19-9) swept Keystone Heights to win the district title and clinch an FHSAA playoff appearance.

There is a pipeline to that success.

In addition to coaching varsity ball, Rone also coaches club ball, noting many girls who played varsity over the years have played club for PSVA Tri-County during the off-season.

“It’s been huge for our program,” he said. “They’re getting high-level reps year-round, instead of just during our high school season, so they come into tryouts already sharp technically and physically. You can see the results. Girls from Branford and Newberry who’ve come through that pipeline have helped push both programs into the state playoffs, and several have gone on to play college volleyball. That club experience builds the foundation, and we get to build on it at the high school level.”

It’s been a pretty good run so far for Rone, who was a part of two final four teams as an assistant coach at Newberry (2016 and 2019) and as varsity coach of the Panthers since 2020; he has one state runner-up finish (2020) and another final four appearance (2023).

But football is still very much an important part of Rone’s life.

He enjoys cheering for his alma mater on Saturday, but there’s nothing like “Friday Night Lights.”

Rone is entering his fifth season as the color commentator of the high school football game of the week every Friday night on 106.9 FM “I am Country.” It’s important for him to call out every offensive lineman up front, and he also has a good feel for the game based on his experiences.

You can listen to Rone and Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) this Friday, Aug. 21, beginning at 7 p.m. as Buchholz travels to Vanguard (Ocala).

Sadly, this football season won’t be the same for Rone.

On April 7, his younger brother, Richard “Rick” Rone, passed away.

“Tough subject to talk about as we are fast approaching the high school football season,” said Rone, who was 2.5 years older than Richard. “We would be talking about GHS right now and their first opponent. He would be giving me the lowdown on what he thought they could do this season and other area schools’ scouting report also. He won’t be there and it will be tough this week not picking his brain about our area teams.”

Richard Rone, who was an assistant coach for the Gainesville High School football team, was just 56 years old.

“It was a huge wake-up call for me, made me realize how short life can be,” Rone said. “Richard loved football season and impacted so many young people positively. What we have in common is the love for coaching and coaching for the glory of God. It was never about the trophies for him; it was pushing them out of their comfort zone, making them believe in themselves and doing it in a Christ-like way. He will be missed by many, and I hope I can have the same impact on my players as he did.”

Hank was proud of George for never losing focus on his dream to coach and teach. George got his college degree at the age of 48, followed by his teaching certification.

“He made it,” Rone said in a text message the day his brother passed. “He just didn’t get to do it for long. He is an inspiration to never give up. It’s never too late to get that degree.”

Rone is back on the court Monday as Branford travels to Keystone Heights for the season opener. He’s got a chance to build something special in Suwannee County.

Last Thursday, the Bucs won the lower division preseason tournament in Alachua.

The defending state champions are young this season, but Rone really liked the effort he saw in wins against Lafayette (Mayo) and Aucilla Christian (Monticello) at the Crafty Gemini Preseason Showdown at the Legacy Park Multipurpose Center.

“Our motto this year is you got a new coach, trust the coach, you got a new team, trust the team,” Rone said. “And the other thing with younger players is they’ve got to trust themselves…anytime you can win hardware, that’s always a feather in your cap, so for us to win on this side says a lot about the talent we have. We’re a really gritty team, but we’re going to have to live and die on our defense as our hitters and setters get their timing down.”