Another Class A program is in the market for a football coach.
According to a story I read in the Grennwood Index-Journal, David Campbell left his post last week at Calhoun Falls Charter because his agriculture teacher/groundskeeper position was eliminated due to budget cuts. That would have left whatever coaching supplement he receives (at a school of that size it isn't enough to live on, I promise) as his only income, so he understandably had to step down and look for another job. I only saw them a handfull of times, but those kids played hard for him, which is a sign to me he was doing something right, so that's certainly tough for him and the kids. I mentioned last week that Fox Creek is looking for a new head coach and should get a good pool of applicants. The school's enrollment has increased (they were the fourth largest Class A school according to the 135-day numbers used in the last realignment), they have some resources and Fox Crek has gotten noticeably better across the board in most sports in the past few years. I wish I could say the same for Calhoun Falls Charter. There was a time, not too long ago, that the Flashes were among the best football teams in Class A. According to SCFootballHistory.com (which is the most valuable, important website on planet Earth, deal with it Google) Calhoun Falls had a cumulative winning record in the '70s, '80s, '90s and 2000s. From 1998 until 2005, Calhoun Falls had a winning record each year, which included a 13-1 mark and a trip to the state semifinals in 2002 and a 14-1 record in 2004 that ended with a loss to Lamar in the Class A title games. That's especially impressive when you consider that this was before we got the somewhat watered-down split Class A bracket. Making deep playoff runs then was a real accomplishment. I saw that 2004 team in person...they played at Great Falls on a freezing cold November night for the upperstate title and won one of the most physical games I've ever seen by a 29-21 score. I've rarely seen that many athletes on one field in a Class A game. The Flashes went 9-3 the next season and then the bottom dropped out. Mills closed, people moved out and the school's attendance plummeted. The school actually closed, but a charter school sprung up in its place and they were back playing a full varsity schedule after a year or two hiatus. Unfortunately, the problem of having enough warm bodies to put on the field every Friday hasn't gone away. By the most recent 135-day numbers I could find, they have 114 students...not athletes or boys, mind you...students. That puts them ahead of only Lincoln (91) and SCSDB (83). I saw them a year or so ago and there's still some talent there (I believe Martavis Bryant's cousin played for them) but not numbers. I don't know a whole lot about the area other than it's near Georgia and I think you pass Yoders going there from where I live. They have good pie...I am an advocate for pie, but tasty baked goods aren't the answer to this problem, or even relevant to the point. If they are having to cut positions, there obviously aren't a lot of resources at the school's disposal. Truthfully, it's a tough job. If you get half the male student body to come out for football, that might mean you've got 25 players total, and maybe a handful of real athletes. Facing Ridge Spring-Monetta, Fox Creek, Dixie and other teams down that way isn't easy with that small a roster. This past year Calhoun Falls Charter was 0-10 and the games weren't close. It's not impossible for smaller schools to be competitive in the little Class A division, though. Look at Whitmire, which had been winless for a couple of seasons, but up and won five games this year with a new coach. Maybe goals have to be altered a little. You always play to win the game, of course (I should shout that defiantly from a podium, I bet it would get me on ESPN) but if you have 100 kids, winning state, particularly in football, might be too tall an order. Maybe you focus on having a winning record, winning a region, winning a playoff game and in special years making somewhat of a post-season run. I don't know, what I do know is that it takes a special type to take on a job of that nature, not having a lot to work with in terms of athletes, assistants, facilities etc. You aren't doing it to get rich and you aren't realistically doing it to win rings. You have to do it because you love the game, love being an influence on kids and love the lessons sports can teach them. Really, I just don't want to see Calhoun Falls or any other small towns lose their teams or their schools, which has happened in some areas and could be in the offing in others. In small towns, a school and its athletic teams are the primary form of entertainment, a community gathering place and a rallying point. It's the lifeblood and a source of pride. I hope they find the right person for the job and some success in the future.
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TravisI am Travis, the king 0f SC 1A Football Archives
November 2021
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