West Lincoln promotes interim coach Sain to permanent job

VALE — During a decade of coaching turnover, West Lincoln repeatedly hired from outside the school. This time, the Rebels found their best candidate right under their nose.

The Lincoln County School Board on Wednesday approved Tom Sain as West Lincoln’s head football coach, promoting the 1983 West Lincoln graduate from interim head coach.

“I’m proud and excited to be able to do this,” Sain said. “West Lincoln is home for me. It’s where I went to school and where I played. It’s where my kids go to school and where I live.”

Sain, 45, takes his first football head coaching job a month after being named interim head coach following the resignation of Mark Latham. Latham left after two seasons and a 5-17 record to become an assistant coach under good friend Greg Lloyd at Kings Mountain.

Sain becomes the program’s sixth head coach in 10 years. Since Harold Warren resigned after a school-record 12-year tenure in 2001, no coach has stayed more than three seasons. Butch Parker coached from 2002 to 2004, Randall Gusler in 2005, Mark Hoover from 2006 to 2007 and Latham from 2008 to 2009.

As a local guy who lives three miles from the school, Sain could bring some much-desired stability. Sain was a two-way lineman at West Lincoln. In his adulthood, Sain returned to West Lincoln in 1993, when Warren hired him as an assistant.

Since then, Sain has been mostly responsible for offensive and defensive linemen and recently served as JV offensive coordinator.

“Tom’s been at West Lincoln a long time and he’s been faithful, he’s good to our kids and he works hard,” West Lincoln athletic director Wayne Navey said. “We feel like hiring a coach from West Lincoln will gives us some stability we’ve lacked.”

Navey said the school considered several candidates for the job but wound up with an easy decision.

“Tom was a logical choice for us because he gets along so well with the kids,” Navey said. “Tom’s a good man and a good coach who will teach the kids more than football.”

Sain will try to lead the Rebels to their first winning season since 1986, when they finished 7-3 under Wes Beam. West Lincoln has never won a playoff game, having qualified only in 2005 and 2006.

Sain has been pleased with summer workouts, which more than 30 athletes have attended. The Rebels return several key players from last year’s 4-7 team, including quarterback Caleb Beal and running back Devyn Travis (1,315 yards, 13 TDs rushing).

“I want a team that’s going to be prepared mentally and physically whenever they go on the field — and whenever they go in the school and in the community,” Sain said.

Full-team practice in North Carolina begins Aug. 2. West Lincoln starts its season Aug. 20 at home against West Wilkes.

Sain said he would continue to coach West Lincoln’s girls basketball team, which he has guided to a 43-34 record over the past three seasons and a conference co-championship in 2007-08.

You can reach Phillip Gardner at 704-869-1843.