Another Midlands football program searching for new coach. Here is the latest
There’s another high school football coaching opening in the Midlands.
Westwood’s Rob O’Connell is stepping down after three seasons as Redhawks coach, an athletics source with knowledge of the situation told The State. O’Connell told the team on Wednesday, the source said.
The Redhawks went 6-6 this season and made it to the second round of the Class 5A Division II playoffs. It was the most wins for the program since 2019 and the first time since then that Westwood won a playoff game.
O’Connell went 13-23 in his three seasons, and Westwood made the playoffs in two out of those three years.
Before Westwood, O’Connell’s previous stops were as an assistant coach at Ridge View, Irmo and Wilson, and he also was head coach at Richard Winn. He spent one season as defensive quality control coach at Wofford in 2019.
O’Connell’s departure will be the eighth coaching change locally going into next season. Half of the vacancies have been filled, with openings still at Spring Valley, Cardinal Newman, Saluda and Westwood.
SC High School Football Openings
School — Former Coach — New Coach
Aiken — Dwayne Garrick — Steve Hibbitts
Brookland-Cayce — Rusty Charpia — Louis Clyburn
Cardinal Newman — Cory Helms — TBA
First Baptist —Jamaal Birch — TBA
Gaffney — Dan Jones — Donnie Littlejohn
Greenville — Jaybo Shaw — Steve Watson
JL Mann — Steve Watson — TBA
Keenan — Ray McCleod — Jarrett Neely
Kingstree — Brian Smith — TBA
Laurence Manning — Robbie Briggs — TBA
Lexington — Dustin Curtis — Stewart Young
Midland Valley — Earl Chaptman — Brent Dorn
Nation Ford — Michael Allen — Jake Bentley
Oceanside Collegiate — John Patterson (interim) — Brent LaPrad
Pelion — Dann Holland — Cory Helms
Porter-Gaud — Brad Bowles — TBA
Saluda — Stewart Young — TBA
Southside — Roy Ravenell — TBA
Southside Christian — Mike Sonneborn — TBA
Spring Valley — Nygel Pearson — TBA
Trinity Collegiate — Jared Amell — TBA
Westwood — Rob O’Connell — TBA
West Ashley — Donnie Kiefer — TBA
West Florence — Jody Jenerette — Chad Wilkes
Whale Branch — Jerry Hatcher — TBA
Wilson — Daryl Page (interim) — Brian Wilson
