For the past two years it has been my privilege and honor to be the leader of the Anson County Bearcats. There are no words that can express the depth of my affection for this county. This community unconditionally accepted me and made my family feel as if we had lived here for our entire lives. Anson County and the Bearcats have been a blessing to our family.

While our success on the field has been substantial, it is overshadowed by the success we have seen off the field. The Bearcat football family is strong and united. We have learned that simply outscoring our opponents is not what makes us successful. Striving for excellence from ourselves and caring for our teammates first is our family creed.

For the last two years the coaching staff and our student athletes have been outstanding ambassadors for our community. They have competed intensely while demonstrating great sportsmanship. We have witnessed our team win many hard fought contests while showing great respect for our opponents. We have also seen our team experience gut-wrenching defeats. Facing this adversity, their character and sportsmanship stood firm. I cannot be more proud of all the members of the football family.

It is with mixed emotions that I will be stepping down as head football coach at Anson High School. We look forward to the opportunity and challenge at Emerald High School. However, it is not without sadness that we will be leaving this community. Our fondness and respect for the people of Anson County will always go with us. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the time we have shared.

There have been many people who have helped our football program the last two years; far more than I can mention in this article. The support and guidance from Fred Davis was critical in the success of our football program. His leadership as Athletic Director has been the foundation from which we built our program. Without coach Davis I am confident that I would not have had this opportunity here at Anson. Secondly, after 24 years of coaching, I feel that this football staff is one of the finest I have been a part of. They are hardworking, committed and loyal. Luke Hyatt, our assistant head football coach, as been almost irreplaceable in his efforts and contributions to our program. Many times he has picked up the mantle of leadership in my stead. Each time Coach Hyatt has shown great ability to lead our program.

There will always be a soft spot in my heart for the Anson County Bearcats. I fully expect to see this program continue to grow and experience great success. To the players who have graduated, as well as the returning players, remember what we say to each other win or lose after each game: "I love you."