When school starts back in August, there will be some new faces roaming the sidelines at Nation Ford High School.
Nation Ford has hired several new varsity coaches for the following sports – baseball, softball, girls’ lacrosse, and girls’ tennis. Three of them were on hand for an introductory press conference on Wednesday, July 9 at the school.
Baseball
Josh Corley had a very memorable 30th birthday on July 9 being named new head baseball coach at his high school.
Corley has been an assistant baseball coach at three high schools, including starting at Nation Ford under former Falcons head coach Stas Swerdzewski. Corley also coached under Michael Lewis, before going to Ardrey Kell for a couple seasons. This past season, Corley was reunited with both Lewis and Swerdzewski as an assistant at Catawba Ridge, where he was an assistant coach and head JV coach.
Nation Ford Athletic Director Bryan Dillon said Corley’s benefits came from his familiarity with the program. He is one of three brothers from his family to graduate from Nation Ford.
“His deep ties to our school and community, along with a proven track record of leadership and player development, make him an outstanding choice to lead our baseball program into the future,” Dillon said.
Corley said he really didn’t know what to say about getting the job.
“I struggle to find the words to describe how excited I am,” he said. “It was really weird being back in Fort Mill last year and not wearing red and black. We are going to build our program on energy and attitude. Those are the two things I feel like I bring.”
Corley replaces Jeff Stack, who stepped down after three seasons at Nation Ford.
Softball
The new softball coach for the Lady Falcons is Shelby Sosebee, who becomes just the third softball coach in school history.
Sosebee replaces Craig Brown after his eight years at the helm of the program. Brown will continue to serve as assistant Athletic Director and head girls’ volleyball coach at Nation Ford.
“Coach Sosebee brings a combination of athletic expertise, academic achievement, and a commitment to student athlete development that makes her an outstanding fit for our program,” Dillon said.
A Charlotte native, Sosebee was a softball player at Olympic High School and also played at Belmont-Abbey College. She has a Master’s degree from the University of Tennessee and coached at Knoxville Catholic High School while in Tennessee.
“I am really excited to be here,” Sosebee said. “I want to focus on developing the girls to be a whole person. “
Girls’ Lacrosse
Greg Allen is the new head girls’ lacrosse coach replacing Emily Daly after three seasons.
Allen also has a Charlotte background with multiple tenures at South Meck High School where he led both the boys’ ang girls’ lacrosse programs at different times. He has also coached several travel and recreational lacrosse programs.
“His ability to develop competitive and cohesive teams is matched by his dedication to mentoring student-athletes both on and off the field,” Dillon said.
Allen said he looks to build onto the program.
“I am looking forward to not only coaching a team, but building a program,” he said.
Girls’ Tennis
The new girls’ tennis coach is Adam Grynberg who replaces Lindsay Morrison, who served seven years as girls’ tennis coach at the school.
Grynberg is a former college tennis player at Towson University and is a tennis instructor at Rock Hill Tennis Center.
“We are thrilled to have Coach Grynberg lead our program and are confident he will make a positive impact on our athletes and tennis community,” Dillon said.
Grynbert was not at the press conference.
Also, in late May, former Nation Ford alumni and wrestler Brady Hensley was hired to be the new wrestling coach at the school taking over for Dan Snell, who was interim coach last season. Hensley and Corley are first two Nation Ford High grads to become head coaches of programs in school history.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
