BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Cameron Porch isn’t deterred by programs that are in the midst of struggles. For him, it’s an opportunity.
His current opportunity is to turn around the fortunes of the Keystone Heights Indians. Porch was announced as the program’s new head football coach on Dec. 17.
“I’m really excited,” Porch said. “I’m more excited than I’ve been in a long time.”
Porch takes over for Steve Reynolds, who resigned after three seasons to pursue a career change.
“We are excited about Porch’s past success in building strong programs and great relationships,” KHHS Principal Laurie Burke said. “He is ready to meet everyone and is ready to get to work for KHHS.”
Porch, whose last head-coaching stint was at Trenton (2022-24), is from Interlachen.
“To me, it really feels like going home,” he said.
At Keystone, Porch said he’ll have more time to spend with his family as well as more time to devote to the job.
“I’m excited to not have to drive an hour and a half to work every day,” he said.
He’s also excited about attempting to change the direction of a program that went 2-18 the last two seasons after winning six games in 2023. The Indians went 0-10 in 2025.
“I appreciate a challenge,” Porch said, adding, “I appreciate the reward of the turnaround and building a program.”
Porch’s first head-coaching job occurred at Bronson, which had nine straight losing seasons prior to his arrival. The Eagles went 2-8 his first season in 2012, but then improved to 5-5 in 2013 and 6-4 in 2014.
Clay County was Porch’s next head-coaching destination. He coached Ridgeview from 2016 through 2018. The Panthers had three straight losing seasons prior to his arrival. After going 0-10 in Porch’s first season, Ridgeview went 6-4 in 2017 and 5-5 in 2018. Porch earned a Florida Athletic Coaches Association District Coach of the Year award in 2017.
Porch left Ridgeview to take a coordinator’s position at a school in Georgia, but he returned to the Sunshine State a year later, taking the head-coaching job at Mount Dora High School in 2020. After two years there, in which the Hurricanes went 4-14, Porch went to Trenton.
Trenton went 15-27 in the four seasons prior to his arrival. After going winless there his first year, Porch guided the Tigers to a 5-5 season in 2023 and then a 5-8 season in 2024. Trenton won four of its final six games in 2024, including a 2-1 mark in the Rural Class’ Division B playoffs (now the Florida Invitational Tournament). Trenton, the eighth seed in the 12-team Division B tournament, beat ninth seed Sneads and then top seed Baker to reach the tournament’s semifinals before losing to fifth seed Dixie County.
Porch spent this past season as Baker County’s offensive coordinator.
The Indians’ new coach said that in turning around a program, one key is to build from the weightroom out. He’s ahead of the game in that regard at KHHS, where the sport of weightlifting is popular. The Indians won three straight Class 1A state championships in 2021 (traditional), 2022 (traditional and Olympic) and 2023 (traditional) and has produced 11 individual state champions since 2021.
Mount Dora, coached by Porch, was the state runner-up to Keystone in 2021.
“That’s encouraging that that’s already a thing,” Porch said of weightlifting at KHHS.
Porch said other keys to turning a football program around are convincing kids who haven’t been playing to play and generating excitement.
The excitement is already there for Porch, who said he’s “ready to get started.”
