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.
“I’ve been in this game for a long time and as an assistant, as a coordinator, assistant head coach I’ve worked with some of the best coaches this game has to offer in my opinion,” Curnell said. “In that, all I can say it is my turn.”
With spring practice wrapped up, Curnell knows he will have to start immediately to get ready for the season.
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.
“I have to hit the ground running,” Curnell said. “They are young, but very talented. I just want to take that momentum that coach Simons left and build on it by putting my spin on it and hopefully make waves.”
With Curnell’s hire, there will be seven new head coaches in the area for the 2026 season.
SC Football Coaching Openings
School — Former Coach — New Coach
AC Flora — Ken Floyd — Willie Offord
ALA Blythewood (School opens in 2026-27) — N/A — Todd Varn
Belton-Honea Path — Russell Blackston — David Crane
Chapin — Ryan Cole — Cory Helms
Chester — Victor Floyd — Jerry Caldwell
Clover — Perry Woolright — Bennett Swygert
Colleton County — Adam Kinloch — Bradley Adams
Conway — Josh Pierce — Jody Jenerette
Eau Claire — DeMarcus Simons — Harry Curnell
Goose Creek — Jason Winstead — Jamie Fordham
Green Sea Floyds — Patrick Martin — Ty Southerland
Hillcrest — Bennett Swygert — Amos Lamb
Lake Wylie — (School opens in 2026) — N/A — Nick Pelham
Lakewood — Willie Offord — Jerran Devlin
Liberty — Paul Sutherland — Bobby Ruff
McCormick — Leroy Collier — Daniel Burton
Marion — Brian Hennecy — Aundres Perkins
May River — Richard Bonneville — Stephen Nimmer
Mid-Carolina — Chris Arnoult — Jody Haltiwanger
Ninety-Six — Matthew Bennett — Austin Sargent
North Myrtle Beach — Greg Hill — Perry Woolbright
Pelion — Cory Helms — Matthew Bennett
Richland Northeast — Walt Wilson — DeMarcus Simons
Seneca — David Crane — Drec Ellis
Silver Bluff — Matt Hayes — Lemuel Lackey
South Florence — Drew Marlowe — Scott Braswell
St. James — Tommy Norwood — Stephen Cagle
Sumter — Mark Barnes — Drew Marlowe
Timberland — Greg Wright — Brooks Burnette
Union County — Quinnon Isom — Bryan Robinson
Wagener-Salley — Blaze Gillespie — E’Mond Brown
This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 3:54 PM.
