Eau Claire names area assistant coach to lead its football program
The final Midlands high school football opening has been filled.
Lower Richland assistant coach Harry Curnell was announced as the new coach at Eau Claire High School on Friday. Curnell replaces Demarcus Simons, who left to become head coach at Richland Northeast earlier this month.
Curnell has been at Lower Richland since 2021 and was the defensive coordinator this season for the Diamond Hornets. Before Lower Richland, he was an assistant coach at AC Flora and Keenan high schools.
The Shamrocks won five games in 2025, the most the program won since 1992, and made a first-round playoff appearance. Prior to this year, Eau Claire had won one game over a five-year span.
Eau Claire will be moving down from Class 2A to Class A next season and be in Region 2-A with Batesburg-Leesville, CA Johnson, Clear Dot Charter Ridge Spring-Monetta and Whitmire
With Curnell’s hire, there will be seven new head coaches in the area for the 2026 season.
