Shane Wallace ready for first year as Clarendon Hall football coach, AD
Jackie McIntosh to take over as Saints baseball head coach
Summerton – For Shane Wallace, there is no doubt in his mind that him ending up as the head football coach and athletic director at Clarendon Hall was through divine intervention.
“To me it's a God thing,” said Wallace, who will begin his first season on August 22 when the Saints play host to Spartanburg Christian Academy. “I came down here for another job (from North Carolina) and it didn’t work out. I thought I would be completely out of football and education, but this one opened up or me. That’s why I felt like it was a God thing.”
Wallace takes over both posts that were left vacant by the resignation of Todd Larrimer, who is now on the staff at Calhoun Academy. Wallace has 17 years of experience coaching at private schools in North Carolina, Texas and Alabama and has been an athletic director for 15 years.
His last coaching position was at Harnett Central High School in Angier, North Carolina, serving as the defensive coordinator.
Wallace will have Ed Manlove, who most recently coached at Laurence Manning Academy, serving as his offensive coordinator. Longtime Clarendon Hall assistant Stewart Price will again be the defensive coordinator.
Trey Bagnal will return to coach the offensive line, while Randy Bass will coach the defensive line. Griffin McIntosh is a returnee, but he is making an immediate transition from player to coach. He was Clarendon Hall’s leading tackler last year as a linebacker, and that’s the position he’ll be coaching this year.
The other member of the staff is Mickey Jordan, the son of the late Spencer Jordan, who was the SCISA executive director. He will coach wide receivers and defensive backs.
Wallace, who lives in New Zion, takes over a program that was winless in 10 games last season. It’s an old cliché, but his plan is to take it just one game at a time and try to win that game.
“I’m going to let them (the staff) handle the Xs and Os, and I’m going to handle the Jimmys and the Joes,” Wallace said. “We have sat down as a staff, and we want to right the ship and keep it as simple as possible. We want to do that on both offense and defense and control the clock as much as we can.”
Wallace said Clarendon Hall has had a successful summer in regards to workouts.
“The kids here are great,” he said. “They are athletic and they hit the weight room really. We’ve kept the weight program going through the summer. We're focused on Spartanburg Christian.
“Our goal is to win a ball game. I think we can do it with this bunch of athletes. We’re feeling good about it.”
Larrimer’s departure left an opening for a new baseball head coach. That role will be filled by Jackie McIntosh, a staple on the Clarendon Hall coaching staff over the years in some shape, form or fashion.
Jeffrey Bays will be back as the softball head coach. He led the Lady Saints to the AAA state championship series where they had their run of consecutive state championships stopped at three by Pee Dee Academy.
Rick Atkinson will again be the boys basketball head coach, while Johnny Horton will be in charge of the girls team again. Shannon Corbett will be the volleyball coach, Whitney Phillips will coach the bass fishing team, Michael Earnhardt and Lisa Earnhardt will coach the shooting team, Kathryn Epps will coach the school’s first cross country team, and Danielle Tindal will be the cheer coach.
