Pelion coaching staff has minor changes in 2010-11
By David Shelton
Staff Writer
Pelion – As he begins his 21st season as the athletic director and head football at Pelion High School, Ben Freeman feels things are going well at the class AA school.
Pelion is annually competitive in most every sport due to a hard-working group of athletes and a dedicated coaching staff. Freeman says there is rarely turnover among the coaching staff and that stability lends itself to success.
“It’s a good place to live and work and we have good kids,” said Freeman. “We don’t normally have much turnover in the program. I’ve been here 21 years and I love it. People support our programs very well.”
Freeman did have to work a little during the late spring and early summer, filling a few coaching vacancies. The school will have a new wrestling coach as Will Lucas will take over the job this season.
Sarah Vanlangendon, the girl’s tennis coach, will add the duties of girl’s basketball coach to her plate this winter.
Stephanie Creed will serve as the girl’s soccer coach next spring.
The rest of the coaching roster remains intact for the coming year. Parrish Deans will return as the boys basketball coach this winter. Mark Bedenbaugh will be back as the cross country and boys track coach while Ben Vernarsky is the girls track coach.
Pelion native Barry Fogle will be back as the head baseball coach and Robbie Randall directs the school’s highly successful golf program.
Larry Poole returns as the softball coach and Roger Wahl will be back as the volleyball coach.
On Freeman’s football staff, the same names appear with a few additions. Deans coaches the secondary while Fogle coaches the defensive linemen. Poole is the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, while also working with the offensive linemen.
Randall is the quarterbacks coach and Lucas will coach wide receivers. Coaching the running backs will be Mark McAbee.
Coaching the junior varsity team will be Willie Fox and Corey Erskine will be the middle school head coach this fall.
