LYNN — The Lynn English football team officially has a new leader, as the Bulldogs announced on Wednesday that the school has hired Mackenzie Charles to fill the role.
Charles will take over for Chris Carroll, who stepped down after a successful six-year run to focus on his young family.
“I’m incredibly excited and honored to be taking over as the new football coach at English, and I want to thank Dick Newton and (English Principal) Anastasia Mower for believing in me and giving me this opportunity,” said Charles, who is also the head coach of the girls basketball team. “I give Chris Carroll a ton of credit for what he’s done in terms of laying the foundation and building a successful program here, and I hope to continue that.”
“We hired Mackenzie to do everything he’s done with the girls basketball program — build numbers, keep kids on track and keep the program moving in the right direction,” said English Athletic Director Dick Newton. “Mackenzie is very passionate and cares about helping kids, and we’re excited to see what he can do at the helm.”
Charles was an assistant coach for the Bulldogs under Carroll over the past four years, but that’s far from his only football experience. After his playing days at Tech, Charles started coaching as an assistant for the Tigers under Gary Sverker. He then spent four years as an assistant coach at Mount Ida College under head coach Mike Landers and coached for a year on the Revere staff under Lou Cicatelli before joining the English staff. This will be Charles’ first football head coaching job.
“I’ve been coaching football for 19 years now, and I’m really excited for this new challenge,” said Charles. “I’ve learned so much from so many great coaches over the years, and now I’m looking forward to taking all that I’ve learned and applying it with my own style.”
With football season already so close, Charles is already hard at work contacting players and preparing for preseason training, which is now less than two months away.
“I’ve already been on the phone with a number of players and developing those important relationships,” said Charles. “I can’t wait to get started with the guys. I want to thank Chris Carroll for leaving such a strong foundation, and I’m excited to build on that and continue our success here at Lynn English.”