NOTEBOOK: Three Midlands coaches for SC Football Coaches Hall of Fame

Three former Midlands coaches will be inducted in the second class of the South Carolina High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame.

Cecil Woolbright, Doug Bennett and Bettis Herlong are part of the 10-person class to be inducted on Dec. 11 at Landmark Resort in Myrtle Beach. The induction ceremony will be the same week as the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives game.

The other inductees are Shell Dula, Leon Maxwell, Johnny Roscoe, Billy Seigler, Bill Tate, Jimmy Wallace and Virgil Wells.

Woolbright won 182 games in his 31-year coaching career, which included stops at Chapin, Winyah, Latta and Cardinal Newman. He led Chapin to back-to-back state championships in 1973-74.

The Chapin football stadium is named after Woolbright, who died in 2002.

“It a great honor to have my granddad inducted to SC Football Coaches Hall of Fame,” said Batesburg-Leesville football coach Perry Woolbright. “He has always been someone to look up to growing up. He’s the one that got the Woolbrights started in coaching in South Carolina. He has left a great legacy to follow.”

Two of Cecil’s sons, Marty and Roger, became coaches. Perry’s in his second year at Batesburg-Leesville after coaching at North Myrtle Beach.

Bennett led Swansea to six state title game appearances, winning three in 1960 and 1974-75. He won 265 games in his 37-year career and was the Region 3 Southeastern Coach of the Year in 1987 and 1991.

Herlong guided Brookland-Cayce to the 1966 Class 3A state championship and won 197 games in his 30-year career. In addition to coaching at Brookland-Cayce, he also had two stints at Saluda and coached at Aiken, Johnston, Strom Thurmond and in Orlando, Fla.

Herlong served as the executive secretary of the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association from 1970-1993 and Saluda named its football stadium after him in 1997.

Collins’ recruiting update

Lower Richland receiver Larry Collins said Saturday that the final three colleges he’s considering are Wake Forest, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Collins, the state’s ninth-ranked prospect according to 247Sports, said he could make a decision in September. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound receiver had 31 catches for 504 yards last season when he also rushed for 309 yards and passed for 343 yards with 10 touchdowns. On defense as a safety, he had 34 tackles and four interceptions.

Page, Stroman to take over AD duties at LR

Lower Richland football coach Darryl Page and girls’ basketball coach Debbie Stroman have been named co-interim athletic directors for the rest of the school year.

Page and Stroman fill the spot left by former LR athletic director Bob Matz, who was recently named athletic director for Richland One schools.

Knotts among nation’s winningest coaches

Dutch Fork football coach Tom Knotts ranks 22nd among active winningest high school football coaches in the country, according to a list released by MaxPreps.

Knotts is 367-60 in his 32 years as a head coach, which includes stops at Harding, West Charlotte and Independence high schools in North Carolina. He’s in his sixth season at Dutch Fork and has led the Silver Foxes to three straight state championship appearances.

J.T. Curtis of Curtis High School in River Ridge, Lou., leads all active coaches with 542 wins. Recently retired Summerville coach John McKissick is the all-time leader in victories with 621.

Former MLB player named head coach for Ben Lippen baseball

Jonathan Johnson has been named the head baseball coach for Ben Lippen School. Johnson replaces John Holt who resigned.

Johnson was selected seventh overall by the Texas Rangers in the 1995 amateur draft and spent 11 years playing for various organizations. Johnson most recently served as pitching coach for Ben Lippen the past two seasons and spends his summers as the head coach of the Lexington County Blowfish.

Johnson’s also involved in the ministry, serving as the director of operations in Latin America for Honoring the Father Ministries.

Blythewood’s Pam selected for Blue-Grey All-Star game

Blythewood senior defensive back Khris Pam has been selected to play in the Blue-Grey All-American football game on Jan. 16 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.

Pam is being recruited by several Division I and FCS schools and recently picked up an offer from Hampton.

Pam’s teammate, quarterback David Israel, is also drawing interest from colleges and was offered by Tennessee State over the weekend.

Airport Jamboree set for Friday

Airport will be hosting a six-team jamboree Friday.

The jamboree will begin at 6 p.m. and the matchups are Colleton Prep-Wagener-Salley, Mid-Carolina-Lexington and Charlotte Latin-Airport.

This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 6:41 PM with the headline "NOTEBOOK: Three Midlands coaches for SC Football Coaches Hall of Fame."