Longtime principal at TCHS, Kent Yoho, is stepping down from the position early in the new year. His last official day is still an unknown, but plans are in place for his departure. His wife, Linda Burgess Yoho, hinted he has some vacation time scheduled in February. Kent’s leaving will create a large void in the halls of TCHS and on the playing fields. He is on year number 34 in his employment with Tyler County with 17 of those as the “main man” of the high school. Kent is a dedicated educator and has consistently held the staff and student body of TCHS to high standards. On a side note, when information was needed about games or players for the paper, Kent was always quick to respond. It sure made my job a little bit easier and was always appreciated. Also, my wife reminded me when the prom club students of TCHS volunteered at the city park last spring painting the stage, it was Principal Kent Yoho who showed up to climb the ladder and reach all the high areas of the building. All Tyler County citizens owe Kent a heartfelt thank you for his years of loyalty and perseverance on behalf of the students and teachers of TCHS. Principal Yoho, enjoy your much deserved retirement!

Ten to twenty years ago, it was not uncommon for a head coach of a high school sport to also hold the position of AD or principal within the same school. Especially in smaller schools where manpower numbers were limited. Head Wrestling Coach Paden Morris of TCHS is about to enter this dual role as the new principal at Tyler Consolidated High School. He begins this new position on January 24, right in the middle of wrestling season. Coach Morris came to Tyler County last year and recorded a strong season with the Silver Knights. His wrestling squad has high hopes for another even better year. At present they are ranked second in the state behind Cameron, but the Silver Knights defeated Cameron since the rankings updated. Like many in Tyler County, I am hopeful this team can build to a post season appearance in Huntington battling for state honors. That is a big goal, but if any team can get there, I am willing to put my money on TCHS wrestling and Coach Morris. Paden will need to count on his capable assistants and returning lettermen though to keep him on target.

If a coach decides to give up coaching and move into administration or become the athletic director, I believe they are continuing to do a similar job but for more students, and hopefully better pay. Coaches and administrators are only as successful as the relationships they build within their sport or community. Do the duties of administration take away from the time needed to be successful as a coach? I think at the high school level it can be accomplished successfully; it just makes for a very long day.

Today’s high school principals wear many hats and change them often.

Not to long ago only college bound students really needed an educational blueprint. Principals were involved in guiding students on class selection and building a strong resume that would be attractive for a potential college application.

Regular kids graduated with a degree that didn’t demand all the bells and whistles. Why? The local job market held more entry level positions for high school grads with good starting wages and benefits. Today those jobs have all but dried up. Sadly, our coal mines and chemical plants can’t support the dreams of our graduates.

Current high school graduates must be prepared to enter the global job market, and to do that, high schools need to attract the best leader for their buildings. A good principal needs to care about providing high quality education for of all the students. He/she must handle the unique difficulties presented to schools through social media and other technology challenges. They must have the vision to build a strong team of educators. A good principal will find the expertise and skills of the people they work with, in and out of their building, and glue them together, just like a successful coach but on a bigger playing field.

Coach Ryan Walton is a good example of dual roles. He is the AD and Head Football coach at TCHS. His fall schedule is the busiest, since he performs both duties at the same time, but his winter and spring seasons relax somewhat. In case you are wondering, here are just some of the AD’s responsibilities. He/she must provide guidance for the school’s sports programs, prep budgets and allocate spending on items like salaries, team travel and new equipment purchases. The AD also must collaborate with conferences ironing out any scheduling difficulties. These past two COVID years have been doozies for athletic directors to navigate.

Paden City is another area school where one person fills two rolls. Robert Price is head football coach and athletic director for the Wildcats. I reached out to him to get his thoughts on the challenges his job presented. Coach Price explained, “Having “dual duties” as a teacher/coach/AD is something that I slowly eased myself into through the early part of my teaching career. It has been an enjoyable learning experience so far.” The coach hopes to continue in the dual position for many more years. His goal is to leave a lasting impression on his student athletes. “Once they hang up the helmets, cleats, and jerseys for the last time I’ll always still be in their corner throughout their journey of life,” said the coach.

Mark Blair is another guy wearing more than one hat. He is athletic director and assistant basketball coach at Magnolia High School. Mark attends all home Magnolia games as the AD and his job is never done. Mark shed some light on some of his responsibilities as AD, “At Magnolia, I attend around 60-65 events per year. I am also responsible for getting facilities ready for events, such as, assigning ticket takers and announcers for events. To be successful as an AD, you must find trustworthy and reliable people to help you. I am very fortunate to have the backing of the administration and teachers at MHS to help me with this role. It takes a village to do this job successfully.”

It is my belief that coaches do make good administrators because of the discipline they must possess to run successful sporting programs. Whether it’s coaching or administration, total dedication of the administrator is vital for the school’s advancement and students reaching victory. And that’s why I believe TCHS landed a fine young principal dedicated to building stellar programs both in the classroom and on the wrestling mat. Congratulations, Principal Morris. We are rooting for you!