Meet the 13 new football coaches taking over at Midlands high schools
Spring Valley coach Norman Washington and his players emerge from the darkness as they make their way to the practice field. It’s the first day of practice for the Vikings and a dawn of a new era in the program’s history.
Washington, a 2007 Spring Valley alum and former football player, is in Year 1 taking over his alma mater as he tries to return the program to respectability. It’s been a rough two-plus years for Spring Valley, which hasn’t won a game since a 28-21 victory over Fort Mill on Oct. 14, 2022.
The Vikings enter the season with a 24-game losing streak going into their opener against Richland 2 rival Richland Northeast on Aug. 22.
“The biggest thing is, I’m owning it. The losing streak has been kind of a tough thing to hear and see,” Washington said. “But one thing I have been able to see is these guys are very tough. To go through a season and not have the wins you want or a win, but they still come to practice and play hard week in and week out.”
Washington’s energy is evident. During that first practice, he was enthusiastic and energetic, moving from drill to drill. In the team’s first scrimmage against Irmo, he kept the sideline upbeat despite its struggles against the Yellow Jackets.
His goal for Year 1?
It’s simple. Try to lay the foundation and restore the pride in the program that has produced seven NFL players and many more who went on to play various levels of college football.
“I know the vision I have for this program and what I want them to accomplish,” Washington said. “The biggest thing I’m teaching the guys is culture and what it means to be to wear the (Spring Valley logo). There are a lot of guys that come through these hallways that played on Saturdays and Sundays. Also guys that didn’t go off to college and played high school football that were great young men.
“I’m teaching these guys how to be great young men and how to be a champion in everything they do. I’m focusing on the details.”
Washington isn’t the only new face on the sideline this season, as the Midlands has 13 new head football coaches this season. That’s more than a third of local teams that have new coaches.
Here is a look at the other new head coaches in the area:
Midlands new football coaches for 2025 season
Kemper Amick, American Leadership: After more than a decade since his last head coaching job, Kemper Amick is back in charge of an area football program. He takes over at the Lexington public charter school that went winless and scored only 33 points in its first season last year.
Amick will hope to turn things around. He had a successful run at Columbia High from 1998-2013, where he won 10 or more games three times and made four state semifinal appearances.
Rodney Barr, CA Johnson: Barr returns to the Midlands after four years coaching in the Lowcountry and a brief stint as an athletic director at USC Salkahatchie.
Barr spent four seasons at Lower Richland and led the program to a pair of region titles after going 0-10 in his first season. The Green Hornets struggled last season but had four straight winning seasons under Walt Wilson and Scotty Dean.
Stephen Burris, Westwood: Burris returns to the area after winning 18 games in his two seasons at Lamar High School. He has a strong connection with Westwood. His late wife, Kimberly, was a teacher there and his hiring was a popular one at the school.
The Redhawks went 6-6 last 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.
Louis Clyburn, Brookland-Cayce: Clyburn gets his third shot as a head coach and takes over for Rusty Charpia, the winningest coach in school history. His tenure got off to a rough start as the South Carolina High School League handed down sanctions because of a violation of practice rules. Some of the sanctions, including Clyburn being suspended for half of the season, were lifted.
Clyburn has assembled an experienced coaching staff, including former South Carolina and S.C. State assistant coach GA Mangus as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Cory Helms, Pelion: Helms moves over to public schools after spending three seasons as head coach at private school Cardinal Newman. He won 16 games at Cardinal Newman, the most in a three-year span since the program won 18 from 1997-99.
The former South Carolina offensive lineman takes over a program that went 2-9 last season and has had four seasons since 2008 that were .500 or better.
Jarvis Littlejohn, Lugoff-Elgin: Littlejohn has the interim tag on him as he takes over for Leon Boulware, who left in April to become head coach at his alma mater, Rock Hill. He was head coach at Denmark-Olar from 2020-23 before taking an assistant job at L-E in 2024.
Littlejohn has been an assistant coach in college at Newberry and Tusculum. Last season, L-E went from 2-9 to 4-7, the biggest improvement for the school since 2016-17.
Chris Napier, Airport: Napier was one of the latest hires in the cycle, not taking over until May. It is his first head coaching job. He was assistant principal at Newberry High School last year but was an offensive consultant for the Bulldogs.
Napier was on the River Bluff coaching staff two years ago and has been an assistant football coach at the high school and college level in four different states, including Lagrange College in Georgia. The Eagles went 2-9 last season and are looking for their first winning season since 2019.
Jarrett Neely, Keenan: Neely got the interim tag taken off after a successful season as the Raiders’ interim coach last year. Keenan went 8-5 in 2024 and made it to the quarterfinals of the 3A playoffs. The eight wins were the most for the school since winning 10 in 2014.
Perry Parks, River Bluff: Parks returns to high school coaching after stops in college at Charlotte and Coastal Carolina. He went 44-24 in his six seasons at Ridge View and led the Blazers to the Class 4A Upper State championship game in 2019.
Parks takes over a River Bluff program that is coming off its winningest season in program history but must replace several key players. The Gators won 10 games last season and made it to the quarterfinals of the 5A Division I playoffs.
Jared Shaw, Cardinal Newman: The former South Carolina Gamecock gets his second head coaching job after coaching at Cross Episcopal School in Bluffton the past two seasons. Before that, Shaw was an assistant coach with stops at Boiling Springs and Oceanside Collegiate.
Greg Woerner, Saluda: Woerner is getting his first head coaching opportunity after successful stints as an assistant coach at Saluda, Swansea and Gilbert.
Saluda is coming off a 9-2 season and lost to Central in the second round of the 2A playoffs. With Woerner calling the players, the Tigers averaged 301.8 yards per game on offense and return leading rushers Brayden Williams and Tristan Daniels.
Stewart Young, Lexington: Young makes the jump up from 2A to the 5A Division I ranks as he takes over the Wildcats’ program. He spent 11 seasons as Saluda head coach and the Tigers had just one season under .500 once during his tenure. During that span, Saluda won more than 10 games in a season five times and captured the 2019 state championship, the program’s first since 1963.
Lexington went 5-6 this past season and lost in the first round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs. The Wildcats have won six or more games in 10 of the last 12 seasons
Aug. 22 first week game schedule
American Leadership at Thornwell Charter
Blythewood at Nation Ford
Calhoun Academy at Northside Christian
Camden at White Knoll
Cary Christian at Richard Winn
Catawba Ridge at Chapin
Columbia at CA Johnson
Crescent at Saluda
Fairfield Central at Ridge View
Hammond at Christ Church
Hannah-Pamplico at Heathwood Hall
Irmo vs. Oceanside Collegiate at The Citadel
James Island at Gray Collegiate
Keenan at Dreher
Lexington at Gilbert
Lower Richland at Lugoff-Elgin
May River at Airport
Mid-Carolina at Swansea
Newberry at Union County
Newberry Academy at Laurens Academy
North Central at Great Falls
Richland Northeast at Spring Valley
Ridgeland at Eau Claire
River Bluff at Rock Hill
St. Joseph’s at Cardinal Newman
Wardlaw Academy at WW King
Westwood at AC Flora
Williston-Elko at Pelion
This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 8:10 AM.
