Hanna, Westside Get New Football Coaches
Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at 7:41PM Anderson School District Five approved the hiring of new football coaches for T.L. Hanna High School and Westside High School during a meeting Tuesday night at the district office.
Bruce Ollis, who served as head coach for the past 12 years spent at Polk County High School, will take over at T.L. Hanna. Ollis will then begin his new job on Thursday, looking to breathe new life into a T.L. Hanna program that hasn’t had a winning season or 4A playoff berth since 2010. He will be there with James Kennedy, known to many across the nation as Radio, subject of the 2003 movie of the same name, and with superintendent Dr. Thomas Wilson, whom he has known since their days as Presbyterian College. Another familiar face or two may also eventually wind up in Anderson County with Ollis.
“The thing I’ve told people all along is that Bruce Ollis wasn’t looking for a job. I was the happiest guy in Polk County,” Ollis said. “I’ve told people that for a dozen years. It’s an incredible job, and I’ve had some opportunities to leave before.
“This thing just kind of opened up for me. When I got involved in it and found out the things they were doing it certainly was intriguing and appealing at the same time.”
Anderson Five plans to install a turf field at T.L. Hanna, a new field house and weight room will soon be built and Ollis has also been given the chance to hire several assistant coaches. All of that, plus the higher teacher pay in South Carolina, made the Hanna position too attractive to pass up.
Similar plans are being made for Westside, which named former Myrtle Beach and Lexington (S.C.) head coach Scott Earley as its new head coach on Tuesday.
After one week and one official practice on the job at Seminole High in Florida, former Lexington and Chapin coach Earley resigned and moved his family back to South Carolina in August 2013.
Earley accepted the Florida job in late July. After discovering contractual issues — mainly involving insurance for his family — he and his family decided to step down and return to South Carolina. Both Earley and his wife, Meg, have 17 years of teaching experience in South Carolina schools.
Earley takes over a Westside program that has seen little success in the past decade.
Reader Comments (3)
Well I guess those involved in the Arts Academy know where their budget went now. Anderson must want to stay provincial as evidenced with everything from the railroad to BMW. Just don't expect businesses beyond bargain chain stores to consider our town.
Placing football above intellect is a backward, small town move.
So let me get this straight, we don't have the money to fund a school that had been planned for 7 years... But we got money to throw at new field houses, turf fields and higher salaries for Head Coaches and a yet to be anounced Athletic Director! What a disgrace to all the students in District 5 that value Art's. Sorry Mr Wilson, but your true colors are showing!
Psh!! Who cares. Arts are a waste. Go football!!!