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Wi-Hi head football coach Isaiah Taylor steps down after four successful seasons

alec branch, salisbury daily times
·2 min read

Wicomico High School Football Head Coach Isaiah Taylor announced Thursday that he would be stepping down as head coach for a new opportunity.

A former wide receiver for Salisbury University, who also served as an assistant coach for the Sea Gulls and at James M. Bennett, Taylor was hired to lead the Wi-Hi program in 2019. In his four seasons at the helm at Wi-Hi, he turned the team into a contender at the top of the Bayside Conference in each of the last two.

After going 4-5 in his first season in 2019, Taylor and Wi-Hi would have to wait almost two years for another full fall football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a shortened but successful season in the spring of 2021, the wait for a full season proved to be worth it for Taylor's Wi-Hi squad, as they had their best season in nearly a decade, going 8-1 in the 2021 fall regular season and finishing second in the Bayside Conference, while also having the best record in the Bayside South.

Wi-Hi head football coach Isaiah Taylor gestures to the sideline by Eddie White (20) in the game against Cambridge-South Dorchester Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, at Wicomico County Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland. The Tribe defeated the Vikings 28-7.
Wi-Hi head football coach Isaiah Taylor gestures to the sideline by Eddie White (20) in the game against Cambridge-South Dorchester Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, at Wicomico County Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland. The Tribe defeated the Vikings 28-7.

"When I got the job, I was not focused on wins whatsoever. I felt honored to change lives," Taylor said in an interview during that 2021 season. "I think that the biggest need that they had at Wi-Hi before I got here was for a mentor, father figure and a role model for these kids to really start believing in themselves and to know what they're capable of, outside of football."

Look back on Wi-Hi's 2021 season:Putting Wi-Hi back on the map: How a new culture has given Tribe its best team in years

More:Phil Rayfield's son leads team vs. Wi-Hi in Governor's Challenge game rich with history

Wi-Hi followed up that season with another successful year, going 6-3 in 2022 in what would be Taylor's final head coaching season and making it to the second round of regional playoffs for the second year in a row. Taylor leaves with an overall record of 23-13 record. Some of the top players in the Bayside over the last three seasons came through the Wi-Hi program under Taylor, including star wide receivers Jayce Freeman and Malique Leatherbury, and quarterback Darius Foreman.

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This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Wi-Hi head football coach Isaiah Taylor steps down after four seasons