Emerald Vikings

[Damefan]

Just some food for thought on Brian Neal. He was well liked at Aiken but in four years with the Hornets, they were 12 and 30 with his best season being in 2015 when they won six ballgames. In 2016 his final year they were 3-10.

Brian Neal was also the head coach at Ninety Six High School – his alma mater – in 2007 (don't know how long he was Head Coach) and was part of the coaching staff for 15 years. Overall, he had a 17-20 win-loss record according to the Aiken Standard. At McCormick he went 3-9 his first season and he guided the Chiefs to the Division II, Class A state championship game with a 11-3 record but left to go to Aiken.

I understand Brian is a very good defensive coach and excellent with the players, but his record does not show that he can lead a program. Like so many coaches I have known some are not meant to be #1's. They are great #2's and need to realize that. Based on three HC jobs I think Brian is a great #2!!

https://www.aikenstandard.com/news/neal ... ec27d.html

https://www.wrdw.com/content/sports/Bri ... 96013.html

[Deputy]

Seen it a hundred times. Some guys are good head coaches. Some guys are good assistants. But when that line gets blurred a program runs into a problem. But wouldn't surprise me if that is the direction they went. That they came back with the same staff after the debacle of last year says a lot about the importance of football to the powers that be at Emerald

[lifecoach]

I think the district need to hire one AD for both school and two head coaches point blank!!!!

[No Fly Zone]

I just feel bad for the kids over there, particularly the senior class that has to end things with a lame duck coach that for some reason decided to completely change his offensive system at the beginning of the year...only the go back to the I-Formation (which he's known for) when it was way too late.

Does anyone know who the OC is this season?

[viking4life]

Ok. Made me do some research. NO FLY you are Wrong. He was at NInety Six as head coach one year. His team was 3-8. Every game lost by a TD or less. Surrounded by controversy over a Booster Club big wheel's son not playing QB. At McCormick, a bad program until he got there, he took the team to the state championship in his 2nd year after a second round playoff run his first year. At Aiken. his teams earned more wins each year there and were predicted to win the region his fourth year, according to my friend. Injuries killed that bid when all but one starting OL and two LBs were injured. Still made the playoffs. He has taken over struggling programs and they progressively got better each year. Emerald is not that far away. He would be a solid choice. IMO.

And.. He won a state championship in private school.

[Damefan]

Did me some more research on Brian Lane's record at Aiken since you brought it back up. 2013 he went 2-9 and no play off. 2014 2-8 and no playoff. 2015 was his best year at 6-5 as I previously stated and lost in the first round to Hilton Head. In 2016, his last year he went 3-8 and made the playoff with a regular season record of 3-7 and lost in the first round to Union. I am not sure this the kind of success that Greenwood folks will accept. Outside of the McCormick job (2 years) show me some consistency of improvement!!

My next question is why he left a program like McCormick that he had just turned around and never moved to, and he never moved into the community of Aiken. Taking the job at Aiken at that time in history was like going to a nuclear explosion. Nothing left and still nothing there to this day!! Being a Head Coach in towns like Greenwood, Ninety-Six, McCormick, and Aiken require your daily presence. If you are in Columbia, Greenville, Charleston or a major metro area it doesn't matter as much, but small towns want to see their coach.

Also curious what private school was he "Head Coach" that he took to a State Championship? Working at Long Cane Academy and possibly being a part of a championship doesn't constituent being able to lead one consistently. Anyone can find lightning in a jar once in a while if they are lucky. He did that only once at McCormick!!

http://www.indexjournal.com/sports/high ... c483f.html

[Deputy]

Much like Emerald, Aiken is another program I cant figure out. They have lots of athletic talent, but year after year, and through different coaches, they are never very good. May be time for Aiken to rethink their strategy.

[viking4life]

Damefan, Maybe you're right, but He left McCormick, Im sure, for more money and bigger school. AIken was 4A with the big boys before the split with Dutch Fork , Lexington, WHite KNoll, Irmo and some others when he first got there, they had not made playoffs in a while too. He showed steady improvement and like my friend said, was picked to win the region before the team was killed by injuries.

Everyone has their opinion. I know what the kids think of him. which means a ton at Emerald. If he doesnt get it, he needs to be a coordinator. Hasnt been that yet at Emerald. we'll see what happens. Maybe nothing. McMahon may still be there next year too.

[Damefan]

First clear up one thing, the kids do love him everywhere he has been, and I have never said he wasn't a good coach, just not a good Head Coach!!

Now, I don't know who you got your information from but let me enlighten you further. Aiken High was AAAA his first year and dropped to AAA his second and third year in a traditionally weak conference that consisted of Gilbert, Swansea, Midland Valley, Airport, Brookland Cayce, and Aiken. Some of these teams have improved since then. The only year he might have been favored to do anything would have been 2015 the year Midland Valley had a host of stud brothers at QB and RB and went to State where they lost to South Pointe. I was at that game. Beyond that they were NEVER favored to win any Region Championships. The talent went over to South Aiken. The record speaks for itself. Tell your friend to go back and do some real research since I personally know coaches in that county that are still coaching there that will vouch for what I am saying!

Aiken has only won one game in the last two seasons thus far.

P.S. Those stud brothers took Midland Valley to the AAA State Basketball Championship that year too!!

[No Fly Zone]

NO FLY you are Wrong.

I was not the one that questioned or brought up Brian Neal's record or success. I think he's the best in house candidate on staff, by far. But I also think it's in the best interest of their program to completely start fresh because if you keep someone in-house it will create a rift with the holdovers.