Former defensive coordinator Zach Carlton named Palmer Ridge Football's next head coach

Hugh Johnson, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Updated ·2 min read

Jan. 20—Former Palmer Ridge Bears defensive coordinator Zach Carlton has been named the team's new head coach, Lewis-Palmer School District 38 announced Friday afternoon.

Carlton has been selected to lead the Bears for the 2023-2024 season, a release said. He succeeds Mike Armentrout who resigned from the position in December, citing family and health reasons. Carlton also serves as a physical education teacher at the school.

"I am humbled to be named the head coach at Palmer Ridge High School. I have tremendous respect for our athletes and community of Palmer Ridge and I am honored to be a part of it," Carlton said in a release. "As a teacher and a coach, I am dedicated to the development of the entire person. To me, the game of football is a great tool to accomplish this because it requires you to balance many on and off-the-field commitments to have a successful experience."

Palmer Ridge's defense beat the national average in sacks and forced fumbles a season ago and more than doubled the average in interceptions and interceptions for touchdowns, according to MaxPreps.

When Armentrout took the Bears head coaching position after the resignation of then coach Tom Pulford in 2021, he spoke about the group of coaches surrounding the team and the desire to "keep the band together" after the team won the state title three consecutive years.

Following two seasons when the Bears went 22-3, it appears Palmer Ridge is sticking with the band.

Armentrout had high praise for Carlton.

"Coach Carlton has coached one of the top defenses in the state for the last, shoot, before I got there (2019)," he said. "He's very intelligent, very driven, very detail oriented."

Palmer Ridge athletic director Lance McCorkle echoed Armentrout's comments.

"Zach has been part of this particular program for eight years, and one thing that has always stood out is the hard work and dedication to constantly improving his craft. I have seen firsthand how Zach not only knows how to coach and prepare for games, but he also knows how to reach young athletes and ensure they are always prepared," McCorkle said.