Airport High School hires new football coach from Charleston area
The last high school football job opening in the Midlands has been filled.
Airport hired Ashley Ridge’s Shane Fidler as its next football coach. Fidler’s hire was approved at Tuesday’s Lexington 2 School Board meeting. He also will be the school’s athletic director.
WCIV’s Scott Eisberg reported Tuesday that Fidler was leaving Ashley Ridge for another in-state opportunity. He had told his team of his departure Tuesday afternoon.
Fidler replaces Andre Cook, who left last month after one season to become the head coach at Mauldin High School. Airport went 2-8 this season and missed the playoffs. The Eagles’ last winning season came in 2019 when they went 9-4.
“It was tough because of the success we had here and were getting ready to have,” Fidler told The State of leaving Ashley Ridge. “When an opportunity like Airport presents itself, you can’t say no. There are too many resources and leadership there to say no.
“You research the school and they had a bunch of double-digit win seasons and just recently they won a bunch of games. The last couple years, they have struggled but you pull up the Hudl (film) and see they got really good group of players. Then you go up there, cultivate a relationship with principal, superintendent and people within the school building and district. ... Then when the opportunity came, you take it. It was a no-brainer.”
The opportunity to be an athletic director was a factor as well, as Fidler should be getting a bump in salary. He was making $57,601 at Ashley Ridge, according to a public records search of the state high school football coaching salaries. Cook made $95,000 last season at Airport.
Fidler has been at Ashley Ridge, a Class 5A school, for the past three seasons. Ashley Ridge went 7-4 this season and 14-14 during his tenure.
Before Ashley Ridge, Fidler coached at Waccamaw for three years. The Braves were 1-9 when he arrived but went 7-4 in his final season and lost to Dillon in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs.
Fidler also spent time as an assistant coach at Colleton County, Eau Claire in Columbia and Gray Military Academy when it was a postgrad school before it joined the SC High School League. He also attended the University of South Carolina.
In 2019, Fidler was one of the 35 coaches to be named to the 2019 American Football Coaches Association 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. He was one of two high school coaches invited to attend the program.
At Colleton, Waccamaw and Ashley Ridge, Fidler’s teams were known for their record-setting offenses. Ashley Ridge scored more than 60 points twice last year in a season for the first time in school history.
Fidler said he will also be Airport’s team’s offensive coordinator.
“We have done good things offensively places I have been,” Fidler said. “That’s what has gotten me to this point. Offensively, I am a ‘do what your kids do best’ guy. I am firm believer in tight ends, running the football and play action. At the end of the day, it’s putting your players in the best position to succeed and getting your best players the football when it counts the most.”
Fidler will meet with Airport’s team Friday and is in the process of putting together a staff and seeing which of current coaches will stay before opting to hire any more.
Fidler’s hire gives the Columbia area eight new football coaches for the 2023 season with the others at Blythewood, Columbia, Eau Claire, Heathwood Hall, Lexington, North Central and Spring Valley (see full list below).
SC High School Football openings
School — Former School — New Coach
This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 5:59 PM.
