Laurens Academy returns entire coaching staff
Shannon McGee back for 10th year as volleyball head coach as Lady Crusaders after 4th straight state title
Laurens – Laurens Academy returns all of its head coaches for the 2025-26 school year and why not? The Crusaders won one state championship, were the runners-up in two other sports and were highly competitive across the board.
“We had a very good year all around,” said athletic director and boys basketball head coach Travis Plowden, positions he has held for the past 14 years. “Our coaches are a veteran group and most of them have been here or been coaching for a long time. Having continuity is very important in an athletic department. The professionalism our coaches show and the amount of time they put in is unbelievable.”
Shannon McGee will be back for her 10th season as the volleyball head coach. The Crusaders made history last season, becoming the firsr girls team in school history to win three consecutive state championships. They will go for four in a row this season after not being deterred by the move from SCISA Class A to AA last season.
The Lauens Academy football team will try to build off of its surprising run to the 8-man state championship game. The Crusaders finished 9-4 under Jolly Doolittle, who will be in his third year as head coach. Laurens upset defending state champion Jefferson Davis Academy 34-28 in the semifinals before losing to Richard Winn in the state title game.
“We got to the championship game for the first time in almost 15 years,” Plowden said. “That semifinal win over Jefferson Davis was one of the more spectacular wins in a long time.”
The girls basketball team was the other LA team to reach the championship round. Jason Marlett will try to get them there again and hopefully hoist the championship trophy this time around. The Crusaders went 18-8 under Marlett, who will be in his 12th season as head coach. He led the Crusaders to consecutive state championships in 2018 and 2019.
The boys basketball team went 7-18 under Plowden but did enough to reach the AA state playoffs. He coached LA to a state crown in 2015.
Frankie Dunaway will be back for his second season in charge of the softball program. He led the Crusaders to a 5-11 overall record and they went 1-2 in the AA state tournament.
Darryl Halbert will be returning for his 12th season as baseball head coach, having won one state title. Tiffany Tarver will be in her fifth season as the cheerleading coach.
