How this Augusta-area football program is prepping for the season without a head coach

Just days before full pad practices begin, and a little over two weeks before the season opener, Cross Creek football is still looking for a head coach.

Cross Creek’s coaching vacancy came when former head coach Brian Lewis stepped aside earlier this summer after one season to return to Burke County where he serves as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. Since then, several coaches have expressed interest in filling the position, but because no one took the job, the job posting was re-opened last week.

In the interim, community coaches — coaches who aren’t in Cross Creek’s building as full-time staff — have been leading drills, practices and workouts, while Cross Creek athletic director Kim Schlein who also serves as the school’s girls basketball head coach and track and field coach has added “interim head football coach” to her list of duties.

“We may have our first female head coach here before it’s all said and done,” Schlein quipped.

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But one thing she was serious about is making sure that the Razorbacks play a full football season, no matter what.

“Canceling the season is not an option,” Schlein said. “I’d step in before that would happen. We’re still waiting and hopefully, with the position being reopened we’ll get some applicants and hopefully have someone to put in that position very soon."

Schlein mentioned at least one former candidate who expressed interest in the job, but that candidate ultimately didn't accept an offer, putting the school back at square one. Cross Creek has had some challenges this past year finding enough athletes to field teams in sports like boys and girls soccer. But Schlein, who’s been at the school for close to two decades, says she can’t remember ever having a high-profile coaching vacancy open this close to the start of a season.

“It hasn’t been like this. We have not had this situation (with football) before,” she said. “When (coach Monte) Dilworth came, he was hired in July as well, but that was earlier in the month and he was already here. But as of now, we have no one.”

Schlein says Richmond County athletic director Scott McClintock has “been a wonderful sounding board,” and has done what he could to help Cross Creek get through a difficult ordeal. McClintock called the rare late-July football coaching vacancy a “perfect storm” of variables, including former Cross Creek principal Chris Hughes also departing to take the Columbia County athletic director job, that created a tenuous situation.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation with the other coach sort of leaving at the last minute, and when it’s late in the ballgame like this, it’s very difficult to get people to change and go somewhere else,” McClintock said. “Most schools have coaching staffs completely set by now. And then another problem came into play with Chris leaving because the hiring of a coach is something the principal makes a final decision on.”

Sherri Darden will now make that final decision. Darden was appointed principal of Cross Creek during the Richmond County Board of Education’s July 19 joint committee and board meeting.

Both Schlien and McClintock say that despite the urgency of the situation, special care will still be taken to make sure Cross Creek gets the right person to fill the position.

“We need to find someone who can be committed to propel that program forward and to the next level,” McClintock said.

That brings forth another challenge, given the Razorbacks’ recent struggles. The program has had only three non-losing seasons since 2007. That 2007 squad coached by Scott Tate finished 8-3 with a berth in the Class AAA state playoffs. The other two non-losing seasons came in 2011 under coach Travis Nixon (5-5) and in 2016 with coach Robert McCarty (6-5). That was also the last year Cross Creek qualified for the postseason.

Since 2016, the school has compiled an 8-42 record overall, complete with an 0-10 season in 2020 which was Dilworth’s last.

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In Lewis’ only year at the helm, the Razorbacks finished 1-9 but competed well in several games, including a 14-6 season opening loss to what turned out to be a good Evans squad.

Despite the program’s difficulties, Schlein says she likes what she sees as far as the kids — a little more than 30 currently — who still remain to compete.

“One thing about it, our kids are working hard,” she said. “The numbers aren’t great numbers, but we know there will be more out there to come once we have a coach in place. Despite us sort of flying blind right now, we’ve been keeping everybody positive, and these kids absolutely want to play this year.”

McClintock praised Schlein and the program’s community coaches for keeping things moving in the midst of transition.

“From my understanding and the conversations with her, she’s going up there and making sure certified staff are in place,” he said. “She’s doing a good job of making sure the kids are still able to practice and work out. She’s definitely trying to do the best she can.”

For Schlein, that means doing whatever is necessary to make sure the football season happens and the program can be positioned for brighter days.

“I just want the kids to have a good season — as a good a season as possible,” she said. “And that’s why, you know, when it comes to forfeiting the season, I just don’t see that happening. We’re confident we’ll have someone in place very soon.”

Cross Creek is set to open its season on Friday August 19 when it hosts Butler.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Cross Creek still seeks football coach 3 weeks before season opener