- November 21, 2024
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Scott Drabczyk was just getting started building an athletic powerhouse at Winter Garden's Horizon High School. But he couldn't pass up the opportunity to return home.
Drabczyk, a 2001 graduate of Flagler Palm Coast High School, will be the Bulldogs' new athletic director after Steve DeAugustino steps down later this month to move into a new role.
"I'm really excited," said Drabczyk, who has been Horizon's athletic director since the school opened in 2021. "Flagler County is home. It's such a special place for me and my family."
Drabczyk was a year behind FPC Principal Bobby Bossardet and Assistant Principal Stacia Collier, who both graduated from the school in 2000.
Bossardet was as excited as Drabczyk to make the announcement on Friday, June 9, of the school's newest hire.
"We're bringing the Bulldog family back home," Bossardet said. "Scott understands the tradition and what we're trying to accomplish. If you’re out there doing great things, and we have an opportunity to bring you back to the school that helped you grow, to me that’s the name of the game."
Drabczyk succeeds DeAugustino, who has been FPC's athletic director for 16 years and has been a teacher, coach and administrator at the school for 42 years, including 27 as the Bulldogs' head wrestling coach. DeAugustino plans to return to coaching as an assistant wrestling coach and PE teacher.
"Coach DeAugustino was one of my PE teachers," Drabczyk said. "He was a mentor and someone I've looked up to almost my entire career. He's one of the best to ever do it. I don't know if I can fill those shoes completely. I don't know if anyone can."
Drabczyk played golf and baseball at FPC and was a member of the golf team at Bethune-Cookman, where he earned his bachelor's degree in history in 2005. He has been the athletic director at three different high schools — Ocoee, Father Lopez and Horizon.
FPC is such a special place with such great history. I want our athletes to have a championship experience and lasting memories. I want them to be unbelievably proud to be Bulldogs."
— SCOTT DRABCZYK
He established the athletic department at Horizon. In the school's second year, Horizon's athletic teams collected seven district championships and three Metro Conference titles. Eighty percent of the school's 34 varsity teams qualified for postseason play.
Drabczyk said his goals at FPC are to create lasting memories for the student athletes and give the coaches the support they need.
"FPC is such a special place with such great history," he said. "I want our athletes to have a championship experience and lasting memories. I want them to be unbelievably proud to be Bulldogs."
He said he is happy to assist coaches with their administrative duties.
"I want to give our coaches everything they need to be successful, from organizational support to scheduling to publicizing their programs," he said. "We've got to be able to fundraise and continue to improve our facilities. We have some of the best facilities in the state, and we want to (preserve) that."
He said he wants to expand the school's branding by displaying the Bulldogs' logo in all facilities and creating a strong digital footprint through social media and a dedicated athletic website.
"He's very passionate about the work he does in support of coaches and providing a great experience for all of our student athletes and families who attend our events," Bossardet said.
The first item on Drabczyk's to-do list will be filling the head coaching vacancies for boys and girls basketball.
"I told him: Celebrate tonight; we have work to do tomorrow," Bossardet said. "He’s already asked for the resumes. The Interview process starts immediately."
