South Warren head coach Mark Nelson has stepped down.

Really? Any reason why?

Weird. He said to spend time with family, but might be coaching again as soon as next year.

According to BG Daily News

 

By ZACH GREENWELL The Daily News [email protected] 783-3239 | 0 comments

 

After building South Warren High School's football program into a Class 3A player in three varsity seasons, coach Mark Nelson is taking a step back.

 

Nelson, who spent four years with the South Warren program from its inception and nine years at Greenwood before that, announced his resignation Tuesday shortly after informing the SWHS players.

 

"I've been coaching for 29 years, and I've started getting a feeling of not looking forward to the next season," Nelson said. "These kids are working too hard for next year and deserve somebody who's excited. There's so many things that have gone into it. There's family things – my parents, my kids, my wife. Coaching is a year-round thing. Not that I'm out of it completely, but the first reason here was to give these kids someone who's excited about it.

 

"And I also started out as an assistant coach. I think I could be one of those sometime, but right now I don't have the urge to do that. I want to be able to teach and go home after school, sit back and see where I'm at."

 

Nelson left Greenwood in 2010 to take over the football program at newly opened South Warren. The Spartans played junior varsity for a season before opening their first varsity schedule in 2011.

 

South Warren went 4-7 and reached the playoffs in its first season but improved to 9-4 in 2012, advancing to the third round after knocking off perennial power Fort Campbell.

 

The Spartans continued their ascension in 2013 with an 11-2 mark, taking a heartbreaking 8-7 loss to Paducah Tilghman in the third round.

 

"You've got to start with the kids," Nelson said. "When we first started practicing in 2010 at Buchanon Park because our fields weren't ready, they were so small, and I don't know if any of them could've played for a team anywhere in the county then. But they wanted to win. And then I have to go to our coaches. It was our staff instilling what hard work means and what it means to be a champion.

 

"The kids grabbed ahold and went with it, and I don't see that changing."

 

The Spartans' next coach will likely guide the program through a transition in classes.

 

South Warren's enrollment numbers suggest it will make a jump to Class 4A or 5A during the next realignment in 2015.

 

"They'll be 3A next year and then jump to 4A or 5A, and that coach will have a year under his belt before they make that jump," Nelson said. "That was an important thing."

 

Nelson went 41-58 in nine seasons at Greenwood from 2001-09. In his final season, the Gators finished 10-4 and reached the Class 6A state semifinals.

 

Before that, he spent time on the staffs at Butler County, Portland (Tenn.) and Westmoreland (Tenn.).

 

South Warren's search for a new coach will begin immediately, athletic director Chris Decker said.

 

"We knew he had been thinking about it for a while," Decker said. "I think everybody in Warren County Public Schools owes him a debt of gratitude, because he's coached with us for a long time. I think we'll have a lot of good candidates, but we're also not going to sit around. We'll make some calls as well and go from there."

I believe Chuck Smith's son is on staff there. That would be first guess as the replacement.

 

I would imagine there will be some quality assistants from the area who will throw their name into the running.

I would say it is Brandon Smith's to lose!

I would say it is Brandon Smith's to lose!

 

I was going to post the same thing. I believe he has been with South Warren since they began their football program.

I know that coach Nelson is really high on Smith. My impression (with no inside info) is that Brandon was being groomed. Maybe this was done to keep him at S. Warren, rather than going to Madison Central???

I wish Coach Nelson the best! Worked with him for several years and it was a pleasure. SW couldn't have had anyone better to get their football program going in the right direct.

I believe Chuck Smith's son is on staff there. That would be first guess as the replacement.

 

I would imagine there will be some quality assistants from the area who will throw their name into the running.

 

Brandon Smith is on the staff. He was the Defensive Cord this year. As everyone knows South's Defense led the state in several areas:

 

TOP 15 TEAM SCORING DEFENSIVE LEADERS

(playing a minimum of 9 games)

(ranked by net points allowed average)

School Gmsa Pts Avg

South Warren 13 56 4.3

 

TOP 15 TEAM RUSHING DEFENSIVE LEADERS

(playing a minimum of 9 games)

(ranked by rushing yards allowed average)

School Gms Yds Avg

South Warren 13 223 17

 

TOP 15 TEAM PASSING DEFENSIVE LEADERS

(playing a minimum of 9 games)

(ranked by passing yards allowed average)

School Gms Yds Avg

Morgan County 11 150 14

LaRue County 11 527 48

Elizabethtown 11 652 59

Adair County 11 661 60

South Warren 13 792 61

Whoever takes over, it is going to be a bit different than it has been for the past two years...South graduated essentially everyone off last year's team, and most of those guys had been starting for all three years. The schedule is still manageable in 2014, but in 2015, South is almost a lock to go to 5A. It will be interesting to see how the program progresses though those changes. Regardless, Nelson did a fine job there and I believe Smith, should he be hired, will do well too.