Mike Castellano leaves Middle Creek football, hired at Richmond County

After three seasons of nine or more wins, Middle Creek football coach Mike Castellano stepped down Tuesday morning. Almost exactly 24 hours later, he was announced as the next head coach at powerful Richmond County.

“It was a bit of a whirlwind,” Castellano said.

The Richmond Raiders have one of the most storied programs in the state. In the last 16 years, the team has gone 190-28-1 with a state title in 2008.

“We’re excited. We get to go to a place with a lot of great tradition and great facilities. And from the looks of the film, a lot of great talent,” Castellano said.

Castellano, who came to the Mustangs after serving as an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina, went 11-2, 12-3 and 9-3 in consecutive seasons to go 32-8 overall. He was even better in the Southwest Wake Athletic Conference, going 8-0, 7-0 and 5-2 for a 20-2 mark.

“We had great coaches who worked really hard and cared about the kids, and I think the kids really bought into what we were trying to do,” Castellano said.

The 2013 season ended in the 4AA East regional, the furthest any Mustangs football team has advanced.

“It was a great place, and I really enjoyed the time I had there,” Castellano said. “The kids were great to work with. A great principal, a great group of families to work with and a great faculty. At the end of the day, I just thought it was time for a personal change.”

His annual salary will be $77,500, the Rockingham Daily Journal reported.

Mustangs athletics director Jeremy Thompson said assistant coach Steve Burdeau will lead the team through spring skills development. No interim head coach has been named.

This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 6:54 AM with the headline "Mike Castellano leaves Middle Creek football, hired at Richmond County."