Changes abundant in SE Whitfield coaches

The loss of Jamison Griffin as boys soccer coach at Southeast Whitfield High was just the latest in a remarkable number of turnovers for the Raiders athletic department since Karey Williams took over as principal midway through the 2011-12 school year.

Kevin Kettenring will take over the Raiders soccer program, moving over from the sidelines of the girls team. Athletic director Mark Lentych said there hasn’t been a decision on who will fill Kettenring’s shoes with the Lady Raiders, but moving him over to the boys program was an easy decision.

“We knew with the boys that Kevin had been associated with the boys program as an assistant coach to Jamison, and it was a natural change for us,” Lentych said. “He really cares about the kids and it was a good fit.”

Kettenring will take over for Griffin, who has moved into an administrative position at Tennessee’s East Hamilton High. Lentych said he will likely take his time to name Kettenring’s successor.

“We really want to get football season under way and all of our other fall sports going and sit down and talk with Miss Williams and find out what is best for our girls,” Lentych said. “You never know what might open up here or there.”

Even Lentych is easing his way into the program after taking over the AD’s duties at the end of the last school year after Scott Ramsey left for a similar position in Fannin County.

Out of the 17 varsity sports the school plays, Southeast now has new head coaches in 12 of them. Only Jake Dickey (boys basketball, volleyball), Carrie Bishop (girls cross country), Michael Herndon (wrestling) and Brad Lofton (baseball) returned for this year in the same positions they were in last year.

This fall, Kelley Barton is in her first year over the softball program, while Sean Gray moved up from Valley Point Middle to Southeast in the football program. Kettenring shifts his duties on the soccer field and has added boys cross country.

Herndon will add boys golf in the spring after he finishes on the wrestling mat, while Michael Durham will take over girls basketball in the winter and coach track and field in the spring. Former football assistant coach Phillip King is now the head coach of both the boys and girls tennis programs, taking over for Hannah Burgess, who is working on an advanced degree this spring. Todd Murray will take over girls golf from his brother Chad Murray, who left the school to join the coaching staff at North Murray.

“There is a lot of positive anticipation around the school as we get back going,” Lentych said. “I know we have right around 80 kids involved with football, and coach Barton has a lot more girls out for softball this fall and there is a lot of excitement. It’s been hard this summer because I have been learning so much.”

Lentych is also an assistant principal for discipline at the school.

“I feel like once we get things organizationally to where I like to see them, we can do a better job of evaluation, but we are just trying to provide the best for our kids,” Lentych said. “But the best thing is that there have been a lot of positives going on, and the people involved with the booster clubs and with the programs directly are really excited and that is important.”

Lentych pointed to the recent improvements to the school’s weight room and a “work day” that helped spruce up Raider Stadium before the start of football with minor maintenance and repairs as examples.

Kettenring will take over a program that he already knows plenty about. He had worked extensively with Griffin on his program both on the field, in the classroom and in the community.

“I didn’t want to see (Griffin) go by any stretch, but at the same time, learning the system and knowing the fellows and getting an idea of what works and what not works will help out a lot,” Kettenring said. “I am glad for the years with coach Griffin, and we are going to carry on. You won’t see a lot of change. Because of the success that we have had in the past, we want to mirror that success. We are here to affect the kids and help them off the field, on the field, at home and in the classroom.”

Kettenring said that because boys and girls soccer teams travel so much together and play back-to-back games many times throughout the season, he will still be involved in the girls program as well.

“The girls have asked me what is going to happen, but I will still be involved with the girls as much as possible,” he said. “I don’t want the girls to feel at all that I have abandoned them. I love Southeast, and I love the direction we are going in and will do everything in my power to keep raising that bar and see the kids produce. The foundation of excellence has been built. We just want to keep building on that.”

Southeast’s boys soccer team was 36-3-2 in the past two seasons and has advanced to at least the state quarterfinals four times in the past five years.

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Changes abundant in SE Whitfield coaches

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