Lewis named Fike AD as other WCS coaching changes are revealed

Rocky Lewis has been the head coach of Fike High’s varsity football team since his appointment in March, but he took on some additional duties earlier this month when the Wilson County School Board confirmed his appointment as the ninth athletic director in Fike’s 67-year history.

Lewis, who was the head football coach at South Brunswick, previously served as AD at his first high school coaching stop, 1-A East Columbus. He succeeds Tom Nelson, who was also his predecessor as Golden Demons football coach.

“I actually started teaching back in April, so I got a little orientation and got my feet wet a little bit, and got to know the staff and the students and the athletes, so I didn’t come into it completely raw, but it’s definitely a transition,” Lewis said. “I’m excited about it, just like we talked about the whole football tradition, just the Fike tradition itself. And I’ve gotten to meet so many people who went to school here and hear their stories about when they went to school here, and, you know, they were just 11th and 12th graders, and served the whole city.

“So, a lot of pride, a lot of tradition, and just honored and excited to be able to work with these coaches and athletes and try to make it a little bit better.”

The others who have served as athletic directors at Fike High have been Paul Marklin, Gilbert Ferrell, Harvey Reid Jr., Eddie Summerlin, John Gay, Kim Brown and Toni Varacchi. Assistant principal Zach Temple assumed the duties this spring after Nelson officially retired on Dec. 31, while boys and girls golf coach Glenn Jones has served as assistant AD for several years. Lewis praised Varacchi for his tremendous helpfulness as he adjusted to his new work environment.

Lewis said Fike will be able to play more sports than when he was AD at East Columbus 10 years ago, but he will also have more help.

“Well, the advantage of being at a bigger school, as opposed to when I was at East Columbus, is you have more helping hands,” Lewis said, “so when you’re trying to balance coaching a sport and being an athletic director, you have to be willing to ask for help. You have to be willing to delegate. You have to be organized. And so during the football season, I’m going to rely on a lot of people to help out and pitch in. And I’d like to think that I have a strong work ethic, that I work hard, and so I’m willing to put in the time, to put in the work,”

Lewis, who coached football at the collegiate level earlier in his career, comes to Wilson after eight years at South Brunswick in Southport. He was pleased to announce that his wife, Jennifer, and daughters will soon be joining him at Wilson. Their son, Cole, is a rising senior at NC State University, while daughters Paige and Claire will be seniors and freshmen, respectively, at Fike.

Lewis said he has added two new members to the coaching staff: Roland Loftin, who will coach running backs, and Paul Gibbons, a non-faculty hire who worked with Lewis at South Brunswick.

Defensive coordinator Josh Jenkins, linebackers coach Andy Jenkins, Jordan Hemby and Mark Pittman remain from Nelson’s staff from last year, which helped Fike clinch a title in the 3-A Quad County Conference and win the Wilson County Championship.

WARRIORS IN MOTION

Hunt had the most changes on his staff, including two additions to Fike’s football staff. Cam Avery, a former Fike quarterback who coached quarterbacks — as well as track and field and wrestling — joins Warriors head coach Juan Jackson’s staff as the new offensive coordinator, replacing Mike Pittman.

Younger brother Josh Avery, also a former Fike quarterback and volunteer assistant coach, will take on the same role at Hunt. Cam Avery will also coach in the Hunt weight room.

There will be seven new coaches for the Hunt varsity teams this year, including Miguel Hall’s new dual role as wrestling and boys lacrosse head coach. Hall, a 1984 Hunt graduate and a standout on the 1983 Warriors football team that was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in February, has been the Warriors softball coach for the past seven years.

Jackson, Hall’s former teammate and classmate, handed over the boys’ lacrosse duties so he could focus on his other passion as a coach: track and field.

Boys tennis coach Bentley Blount will add girls tennis in his second year at Hunt, while Kim Jones, former Greene Central head coach and Barton College assistant coach, will take over softball duties for Hall. Jeff Kidd, who was the Hunt varsity softball coach nearly 20 years ago, is returning as JV head coach.

Springfield Middle girls basketball coach Wendy Wilkins will lead the girls lacrosse team, while former head coach Kat Alphin will serve as her assistant coach.

Alphin’s husband, Andrew Alphin, will take his first varsity head coaching assignment, succeeding outgoing girls basketball head coach Lorraine Creech. Andrew Alphin was the Warriors junior varsity boys head coach and assistant coach to varsity boys mentor Dwight Taylor. Alisha Baines, the former girls basketball coach at Forest Hills Middle, will serve as Alphin’s assistant.

BRUINS MOVES

Another assistant coach taking over is Beddingfield’s Tonia Gear, who has been on the girls basketball staff for head coach Jody O’Neal for the past few years. Gear is the former girls basketball coach at Speight Middle.

O’Neal, who also serves as Beddingfield’s athletic director and coach of the boys’ golf team, returns to the girls’ golf team job he left in 2021 when he took the girls’ basketball team job.

Former Bruins boys soccer coach Mark Aldrich will resume that role, as Ed Hunter will coach exclusively girls soccer next spring after leading both programs for four years.