Coward takes Over In Year Two As Athletic Director At Dillon High

By Billy G. Baker

Publisher

Dillon—In athletics, stability is a good thing.

As Keith Coward begins his second year as the athletic director at his alma mater (Dillon High) he is thankful that all varsity head coaches remain the same at his school and that everyone is pulling the wagon in the same direction.

“First of all, becoming the athletic director behind the leadership of Zach Hayes and Jackie Hayes made my job so much easier,” said Coach Coward. “Jackie is still employed by the school district and he is always available to answer any questions I might have.

“Also, our Superintendent Ray Rogers has been very helpful and supportive,” said Coach Coward. “He has many years of experience to share and he can break down any problem. I am fortunate to have his support and help any time I tis needed.”

As Coach Coward enters year two in his role as athletic director, what were some things he learned in his job during year one?  “First of all, the entire experience was eye opening,” said Coach Coward. “It is very important to stay organized and communicate with all your coaches on a frequent basis. You need to get on matters as early as possible to keep them from becoming bigger concerns.

“I compare being an athletic director to being an auditor,” said Coach Coward. “When situations do arise, they are more often more negative in nature, rather than positive. My job is to help find solutions and results when these situations happen.”

While serving as athletic director, Coach Coward is also the head baseball coach at Dillon High. “As the athletic director I am obligated to help all our sports, but when baseball season begins, I also want to give my best for the team I coach,” he said.

Coach Coward was asked about the new transfer rule approved by athletic directors at their annual conference in the Spring. This new transfer rule allows any high school varsity athlete a one-time opportunity to transfer to a different high school without their family having to move. Coach Coward serves as the athletic director for both Dilon and Lake View High Schools.

“People, by their very nature, are resistant to change and this applies to life and not just sports,” said Coach Coward. “The new one-time transfer rule can be a positive change if it is not abused. However, everyone involved will need to follow the rules.

“In our school district we do not want to see athletes transfer to Dilon, or athletes transfer to lake View,” said Coach Coward. “We do not want one athletic program to benefit at the expense of the other.”

Coach Coward talked about the winning tradition at Dillon High and how it has developed into a winning culture. “We expect to win in all our sports at Dillon,” said Coach Coward. “We have high expectations in all sports. There is no doubt in my mind that our culture has helped us win many games over the years. When you expect to win, winning results most often follow.”

There are two improvement projects either under-way, or just completed, involving Dillon and Lake View High Schools. At Dillon new batting cages have been installed at both the baseball and softball fields. At Lake View new locker rooms, shared by all the athletes, have been installed in the gym.

In terms of longest serving coaches at Dillon High, Alan “Tiger” McLaurin takes honors with 32 years of service as the wide receivers coach for the football team. Head girls’ basketball coach James McMillian has served 20 years as a coach at Dillon. Head football coach Kelvin Roller and assistant football coach Kevin Roberts each have 19 years of experience in the coaching profession.

Other varsity head coaches returning for the upcoming school year include Johnna Jones in volleyball, Bryan Grice with the boys’ basketball team, while Stevie Grice is back as head softball coach. Karla Grice returns to handle the co-ed soccer program while Randy Gray and Sam Grooms return to coach the boy’s and girl’s track teams.

On a personal note, Coach Coward wanted to pay tribute to long-time football stats and public address announcer Lonnie Turner who passed away earlier this summer. “Mr. Lonnie was very dedicated to Dillon High School for over 50 years and he will be greatly missed,” said Coach Coward. “His work and dedication to the athletic program at Dillon High will never be matched.”

Coach Howard also said that Brandy Huggins does an excellent job at helping run the athletic program at Lake View High.  He also cited Sprinter Spivey for his assistance in helping him run the Dillon athletic program.

“We have many volunteers we also need to thank who help out in numerous ways,” said Coach Coward. “Two of them that come to mind are Macado Bethea who helps out maintaining some of our athletic fields and Ronnie Herring who helps out with fund raising activities.”