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Longtime Fort Myers (Fla.) head coach Sam Sirianni Jr. recovering from stroke

hunterby: Hunter Shelton10 hours agoHunterShelton_
Syndication: FortMyers
Sam Sirianni Jr., Fort Myers High School's head football coach, leads the Green Wave against Charlotte in 2018. Fnp 0818 Np Fort Myers 2018 5

Sam Sirianni Jr. began his 24th season as the head football coach of Fort Myers (Fla.) at the end of August.

The 61-year-old watched his Green Wave defeat Mariner 30-27 on Aug. 22, then Lehigh Senior 33-27 to move to 2-0 on the season on Aug. 29. Just a few days later, however, it was announced that Sirianni would miss the next two games as he opted to take a two-week medical leave.

On Sept. 3, just two days after his leave began, the 61-year-old suffered a stroke, he told the Fort Myers News-Press. Sirianni is now at the Cape Coral rehabilitation center recovering from the effects, which were thankfully only mild on his left side.

“I’m doing much better; I’ve made great progress in just a few days,” Sirianni told the News-Press’ Dan DeLuca on Friday, just nine days after the incident.

The initial email sent out by the Lee County School District did not give a reason for Sirianni’s leave, but it did note that the plan was a return to work on Sept. 15. Now, Sirianni is eyeing a return to coaching “in some capacity” later this season.

Fort Myers lost its first game without its longtime skipper on the sidelines, falling 20-7 at home to Cypress Lake. The Green Wave took the field with a “We (heart) Sammy” banner to show support for their coach.

The Sirianni family has long had ties with the Fort Myers program. His father, Sam Sirianni Sr., coached the Green Wave from 1969-2001 and won 244 games during his tenure. Sirianni Jr. has a 175-81 record during his tenure thus far.

Fort Myers returns to action on Friday night at South Fort Myers in a big matchup. The Green Wave is predicted to win each of its next three games, according to the Massey Ratings. It currently ranks as the No. 188 team in the Sunshine State.

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