New Summerville coach learning how to replace a legend

Like any first-year head football coach, Joe Call has had his share of ups and downs.

But most other first-year coaches were not replacing legendary figures. Call succeeded his grandfather John McKissick, the winningest football coach on any level, at Summerville High School.

McKissick racked up 621 wins and 10 state championships for the Green Wave from 1952-2014.

“The staff was prepared for it. We knew for years of possibility it was going to happen one day,” Call said of his grandfather retiring. “It has gone well. We have great guys on the staff and we all have each other’s back.”

Call was hired on an interim basis and will see if he will get the job permanently after the season.

Call was the quarterback for his grandfather at Summerville from 1994-97. He joined the Green Wave coaching staff in 2004 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2007.

The 36-year-old said he hasn’t tried to overhaul or make any drastic changes to the program his grandfather built to a state powerhouse. He has tweaked some things especially at practice and his players don’t hit as much as they have done in the past.

McKissick, 89, still makes his presence known on a regular basis. He will stop by the school or watch practice and pass a few tips or as Call calls them “suggestions” along the way.

“He says I’m not going to tell what to do, but I will give you suggestions,” Call said. “He has a good perspective from sitting in the stands. He sees the time we put in our meetings and our practices. He sees us working hard and it has been tough going for us.”

Summerville enters Friday night’s first-round playoff game at Dutch Fork with a 4-7 record. Barring an upset over the top-seeded Silver Foxes and a deep run in the playoffs, the Green Wave will have a losing record for the first time since 2001 when they were 5-7.

Summerville had losses to Charlotte Providence (10-9) and Cane Bay (24-17) to start the season and has dealt with a rash of injuries. Call said they have lost three players to season-ending ACL injuries and are on its fourth quarterback this season.

Krishaon Jackson was moved from receiver to quarterback in the Green Wave’s 37-21 win over Bluffton on Nov. 6.

“The starting lineup has changed so much. We haven’t started the same lineup in back-to-back games this season,” Call said. “It has made for a frustrating season. We are a lot better than our record indicates.”

Call said the team has remained as upbeat as the Green Wave supporters, who are used to success over the years. Summerville won 10 or more games in a season 14 times from 1992-2014.

Call said he hopes to have a big following when Summerville heads to Dutch Fork this week. The Silver Foxes have made it to the Class 4A Division I championship the past two years and are the top seed in this year’s playoffs.

After an 0-2 start, Dutch Fork finished the season by winning seven of its last eight games.

“I feel bad for our fans. They are used to us having a winning team,” Call said. “It has been a dose of reality for everyone and they are hurting with us.

“Dutch Fork has fantastic team and has great players all over the film we watched. And even though they lost Stephen Davis Jr., they still got a bunch of really good players. We compare them with Fort Dorchester in terms of their athletic ability. It is going to be a tough challenge for us.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 4:56 PM with the headline "New Summerville coach learning how to replace a legend."