DEEP RUN — After hiring seven head football coaches in a 16-year span South Lenoir is looking for some stability out of its next coach.
The Blue Devils feel they’ve found that in Ken Grantham.
South Lenoir has hired Grantham to be its next head football coach, the school announced on Thursday. Grantham comes to the school after spending the last five seasons as the head coach at Greene Central and the six before that leading the program at Nash Central.
Although the Rams relieved Grantham of his coaching duties after last season, South Lenoir feels it is getting exactly what it wants in Grantham — a long-term commitment to the school and a coach who cares about the student-athlete’s lives in aspects other than athletics.
“He is a perfect fit for us at South Lenoir. He cares about the kids. He genuinely cares about the student-athlete as a student-athlete and their future,” Blue Devils Athletic Director Lisa Smith said. “He’s got a lot to offer our school. He’s got a lot of knowledge. And I think that he will do great things at South Lenoir.”
Grantham began his teaching and coaching tenure at South Lenoir on Thursday and takes over for Tim Jenkins, who led the program for one season last fall before leaving to be a teacher, baseball coach and an assistant football coach at East Duplin.
Before he began his first official day with the Blue Devils, Grantham knew about their continuity woes. Not only is he the eighth head coach hired at South Lenoir since Jimmy Smith coached his last game in 1996, but he’s the 12th different coach hired since the school opened in 1964.
Even though things didn’t go as planned Grantham had intended on living out his working days at Greene Central. Now at South Lenoir, he plans on doing the same there.
“I know there has been a lot of transition in the football program. … It’ll be a good place to build a program. At this stage in my career right now, I’m not using it as a stepping stone to go on to places bigger and better,” Grantham said. “I’ve been around a couple of places and done my thing. I see potential there, and one of the things they’ve missed and have been missing is that consistency and continuity in the football program. I can be that guy that can come in and do that.”
Grantham’s Greene Central teams won just 14 games in five seasons, playing in one of the toughest football conferences in the state.
While his 14-41 record in Snow Hill isn’t exactly stellar, it’s the care Grantham had for Greene Central and its students that sold Blue Devils administration more than anything.
“That’s what we want in coaches. Yes, we want to win — there’s no doubt there. We want coaches with knowledge, but we also want coaches who care about what the future holds for these kids, not just as athletes but as citizens and what it takes to be successful in life,” Smith said.
The offensive system Grantham employed at Nash Central and Greene Central had an option base. Last season, the Rams ran the triple-option.
As of right now Grantham plans on bringing the option to Deep Run, but isn’t sure in what capacity yet.
“Knowing me and my background I’m going to probably run some sort of option, and I think it’ll fit in well for the kids we have here from the outside looking in. … But how we’re going to do it will depend on the personnel,” he said.
“For some of the kids, this is going to be their third head coach since they’ve been in high school, so it’s going to be a tough transition for them to have to go through it all over again.”
Grantham is simply excited to lead a new era of South Lenoir football and is ready to get to work.
After learning the ropes on Thursday, he will begin by getting his players in shape in the weight room, which he now manages.
“As a person that grew up in Greene County there was always something about South Lenoir that I thought stood out from some of the other schools,” he said. “You always had big, tough kids that would work hard. They may not have been as athletic as some of the area teams but there just seemed to be some untapped potential there that you could do something with.
“I just see a lot of positives there and I look forward to being a part of it.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.