Saluda football locks in its new head coach. Here’s what we know
Saluda High is promoting offensive coordinator Greg Woerner to be its next football coach.
Woerner replaces Stewart Young, who left in January to be Lexington High football coach. The move was announced on Thursday.
The 38-year-old Woerner was one of three finalists for the job, an athletics source source told The State.
Woerner has been at Saluda for two different stints, the second coming last season as he joined the Tigers’ program in January 2024. Before coming back to Saluda, he spent eight years as assistant offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Chad Leaphart at Gilbert, which made five state quarterfinal appearances and a trip to the state semifinal in 2020.
Woerner also coached three seasons with Leaphart at Swansea before going to Gilbert. He applied for Gilbert coaching job when Leaphart left to become the Lexington 1 Athletic Director before returning to Saluda.
“I loved it when I was here last time and probably would have stayed a little longer if coach Leaphart hadn’t called for me to go to Gilbert,” Woerner told The State. “This is a really cool place and great community. They love their football so it means a lot to come out of the process and be the guy.”
Woerne, the former standout quarterback at White Knoll, said he is unsure if he will remain as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Saluda is coming off a 9-2 season and lost to Central in the second round of the 2A playoffs. The Tigers averaged 301.8 yards per game on offense and will return leading rushers Brayden Williams and Tristan Daniels next season.
The Tigers will return most of their offensive line but will be breaking in a new quarterback.
Woerner said the biggest challenge will be replacing most of the defense, which were part of the big senior class next year. He also said they will have to find a defensive coordinator. Young acted as Saluda defensive coordinator in addition to being the head coach.
Woerner said there might be other staff changes with some of the Saluda assistants possibly going to Lexington with Young.
“We got a lot to figure out on defensive side of the ball but we have a lot of young talent that are ready to step up and get after it,” Woerner said.
With the Saluda job filled, there are three coaching openings in the area — Westwood, Cardinal Newman and River Bluff.
River Bluff just closed its application deadline on Sunday and hopes to have a new coach in place by sometime in March.
SC Football Coaching Openings
School — Former Coach — New Coach
Aiken — Dwayne Garrick — Steve Hibbitts
Allendale-Fairfax — Tristain Armstrong — Travis Lewis
Brookland-Cayce — Rusty Charpia — Louis Clyburn
Cardinal Newman — Cory Helms — TBA
First Baptist —Jamaal Birch — Kevin Mapp
Gaffney — Dan Jones — Donnie Littlejohn
Greenville — Jaybo Shaw — Steve Watson
JL Mann — Steve Watson — Bryce Smiley
Keenan — Ray McCleod — Jarrett Neely
Kingstree — Brian Smith — TBA
Laurence Manning — Robbie Briggs — Jimmy Noonan
Lexington — Dustin Curtis — Stewart Young
Midland Valley — Earl Chaptman — Brent Dorn
Nation Ford — Michael Allen — Jake Bentley
Oceanside Collegiate — John Patterson (interim) — Brent LaPrad
Orangeburg Prep — Don Shelley — Brooks Smith
Pelion — Dann Holland — Cory Helms
Porter-Gaud — Brad Bowles — TBA
River Bluff — Blair Hardin — TBA
Saluda — Stewart Young — Greg Woerner
Southside — Roy Ravenell — AJ Millis
Southside Christian — Mike Sonneborn — Jonathan Gess
Spring Valley — Nygel Pearson — Norman Washington
Trinity Collegiate — Jared Amell — TBA
Westwood — Rob O’Connell — TBA
West Ashley — Donnie Kiefer — Rashad Graham
West Florence — Jody Jenerette — Chad Wilkes
Whale Branch — Jerry Hatcher — TBA
Wilson — Daryl Page (interim) — Brian Wilson
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 11:20 AM.
