Will McMillan returns to East Clarendon for second stint as baseball head coach
Larry Cornelius steps into role of athletic director on an interim basis while maintaining football duties
Turbeville – Will McMillan may have left East Clarendon High School as the baseball head coach four years ago, but he never left his home in Turbeville. That’s why he’s making EC his baseball home again.
McMillan was the Wolverines’ head coach for six years before leaving to take over the program at AAAAA Sumter High following the 2022 campaign. However, when Curtis Johnson recently left his posts as baseball head coach and athletic director at East Clarendon to be the AD at Sumter, McMillan applied for the EC baseball job and was hired.
“I still live in Turbeville, and I have a 4-year-old, and a 2-year-old,” McMillan said. “That meant a lot of time away, and I was missing out on a lot with the drive back and forth to Sumter. I knew being close to home would be good.
“I was drawn back to it. East Clarendon is a good fit for me. I had a chance to go out and coach at the highest level against really good coaches, really good teams. I think it’s a better fit for me with the lower levels (EC is in the AA classification), the small town, the community feel. I missed that.”
McMillan had success at both EC and Sumter. In his final year in his first stint with the Wolverines, he had them within a victory of playing in the state championship series. He had Sumter in the championship round of the District 4 tournament in the AAAAA Division I playoffs in the just completed season.
Filling the role of the EC athletic director on an interim basis is football head coach Larry Cornelius.
“It’s cool,” Cornelius aid. “I’ve been an AD before. I have to adjust to the head coaches in certain ways, and they have to adjust to me. I just want to do what’s best for East Clarendon.”
While Cornelius is the new AD, he will be the old football coach. Cornelius is preparing for his fourth season on the Wolverines’ sidelines. He led EC to a 9-3 record last year and to the second round of the state playoffs.
Cornelius will be the offensive coordinator and coach running backs. He will have his defensive coordinator back in Brandon Carter, who will coach linebackers along with Robbie Mooneyham. Returning to coach the offensive line will be veteran Robbie Wright, Benny Knowlton will coach quarterbacks, Dawson Price will coach wide receivers as well as serving as the B team head coach, and Kevin Graham will be in charge of the defensive line.
The secondary will have two new coaches in McMillan and Malik Richardson, who played quarterback for Cornelius when he was the head coach at Lakewood High. The other newcomer to the staff is William Lovelace, who will help Wright with the O line.
“We have some new faces this season in the coaching ranks, but we are quickly getting going within a few weeks,” Cornelius said. “We are excited with all the returning players we have, and knowing that we have an extremely challenging schedule, we need to put our best foot forward every day.”
With the exception of baseball, all of the other varsity head coaches from a year ago return. Longtime EC coach Patrick Kelly will once again coach three sports – boys and girls cross country, boys basketball and boys golf.
Bridget Parker Richardson returns for her second year in charge of girls basketball. She led EC to a 10-13 record last year and a playoff appearance.
Jason Newsome will continue as the softball head coach. After leading the Wolverines to a state title in 2025, Newsome guided them to a 24-9 record and a berth in the 4-team lower state tournament of the state playoffs this past season.
Graham is back as the head of the wrestling program as well as the boys track and field team. Candice Barron will be the girls track coach and in charge of basketball cheer, while Lyn Sullivan will be the cheer coach.
Kayleigh Young Gonzalez will once again be the volleyball coach, and Morgan Keefe will lead the girls tennis team.
