James Curtis
•8/4/2026
Six coaches, including head coach Tyran Jones, are no longer a part of Mariner High School's football program after an overnight team lock-in. According to an email from the high school sent to families on Tuesday, changes are being made to the program due to a lack of supervision by the staff during the gathering and behavior by certain students. Jones and assistant coach Kaycie Zorbas have been relieved of their coaching duties and placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Additionally, the school said four non-district employee assistant coaches had their coaching contracts terminated. There are students who were at the lock-in that are facing disciplinary action in accordance with the code of conduct due to their behavior, but no hazing took place, according to the school. Doug Faasse, a Mariner High School teacher and assistant coach who was not at the lock-in, has been named interim head coach. Assistant coach Luis Esposito, a teacher at Hector A. Cafferata Jr. K–8 who was not at the lock-in, will remain on the staff, the school said. They will be joined on the staff by the following people: Martin Cardenas (teacher and coach, Mariner High) Jake Arbuckle (teacher and coach, Mariner High) Justin McEwen (volunteer, Mariner High) Adrian Shipman (volunteer, Mariner High) DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.