By David Shelton
•
31 Jul, 2023
Walterboro – Colleton County’s first-year head football coach Adam Kinloch is a 2007 graduate of the school and a former player in the football program. As he said when he was hired as the football coach in January, being the head coach at his alma mater was his dream job. “Everything I have done to this point was in preparation to be a head coach,” the 34-year old said. “But I was not trying to be a head coach at any other school. I wanted to be the head coach at Colleton County. It’s my home. I bleed blue and silver and all I ever wanted was this opportunity.” The former Walterboro High ball boy is working hard to rebuild a community culture and he has put together a coaching staff that has several former Walterboro and Colleton County players. “I felt that is was necessary to have guys in here that know what it takes and guys that have pride in the program,” he said. Offensive line coach Shawn Lyons was an all-state and Shrine Bowl offensive lineman at Colleton County. Quarterbacks coach Scott Wheeler has been coaching at Walterboro and Colleton County since the early 1990’s and special teams coach Brian Reid has been in the program since 1997. The offense is led by a newcomer, Jacob Hector, who will coordinate the offense and coach tight ends. Mike Smalls, an assistant basketball coach, is joining the football staff as receivers coach this year. Former Stratford player Aubrey Lemon is new to the staff and will coach running backs. On defense, veteran Tommy Brown, a former head coach at several schools, will be the defensive coordinator and secondary coach. “It’s a true blessing to have coach Brown on my staff,” Kinloch said. “He’s been coaching for a long time and his mentorship has been invaluable for me.” Defensive line coach Kievy Rowles is a former Walterboro assistant who was on the previous staff. He coached Kinloch in middle school football. Inside linebacker coach Cullen Ellis is a returning coach from the previous staff, while outside linebackers coach Jermaine Clayton is a Colleton County graduate who was coaching at Lower Richland High last season. Ellis also will serve as the head junior varsity coach, assisted by Kevin Holmes, Romea Edwards, Jaquan Hamilton and Kylee Hart. Kinloch was a member of the 2005 team that was Colleton County’s last winning season. The program he inherits is down, but not out. The Cougars are 16-43 over the last six seasons, including a 1-9 record in 2022. “None of the past matters now. What matters is the future and I am focused on that,” Kinloch said. “I know there’s a lot of work to be done but I am ready. I want to change the culture. I want to find kids that truly want to be a part of the program, not just say they play football. I have a vision and my job is to make these kids believe in something. It’s going to take some time and a lot of effort but, like I said, I’ve been preparing for this for my whole life.”