Warriors make football change

West Caldwell High has decided to take a different direction in its varsity football program.

School administrators announced Tuesday head coach Randy Baldwin has been relieved of his coaching duties, effective immediately.

Baldwin will continue teaching at West Caldwell, according to West Caldwell principal Jeff Link, who said he decided to make a change after a review of a football program that has had nine straight losing seasons.

“I never quit on the kids and simply wouldn’t do that,” Baldwin said. “But this is part of coaching. There are two types of coaches Bum Phillips once said. Those that are fired and those that are gonna get fired.

“I just hope these kids get someone in that can continue to rebuild the program.”

The Warriors went 0-7 in the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A this season, finishing last, and 0-10 overall. West Caldwell went 4-7 in Baldwin’s first season, but hasn’t had a winning record since 2002.

“I didn’t want to make a rash decision and spent time last week after the season ended talking to some trusted folks that I go to for advice and guidance on situations,” Link said. “And at the end of the day, it was a decision I had to make to do what was best for West Caldwell and for our football team and I felt like a change in leadership was something that was needed.”

Link thanked Baldwin for his two years in the football program, but felt a move was warranted.

“I just felt like we weren’t moving in the direction we needed to move in,” Link said. “It is never an easy decision when deciding to make a coaching change.

“However, I feel that making a change is necessary and what is best for West Caldwell and its football program at this time.”

The Warriors faced a rash of injuries during the season, with the biggest probably being standout running back Ryan Corpening. He suffered a broken ankle against Ashe County in the season opener and did not play again.

Baldwin said that the Warriors lost nine starters to season-ending injuries prior to the start of conference play and before the season ended 21 starters had been injured.

“With all the injuries and with me just in my second year, we just didn’t have the cohesion and just didn’t get to work together long enough to become a good team,” Baldwin said. “If you have a new starting lineup on offense, defense and special teams every week, it’s like playing your first game every week.”

The Warriors were 3-4 in the CVAC 2A the year before and tied Bunker Hill and Draughn for fourth place, the best conference finish for West Caldwell since 2003.

Baldwin came to West Caldwell after serving as offensive coordinator at East Burke. He replaced former West Caldwell player Mike Setzer, whose teams were 1-21 in two seasons at his alma mater.

Baldwin’s unofficial career head-coaching record is 118-127, which includes coaching stints in Texas and Columbia, S.C. before coming to North Carolina. He went 7-38 in four seasons at North Wilkes from 2001 through 2004.

Prior to that, Baldwin was head coach at Hibriten from 1993-95, compiling a 15-19 record there.

In his second year at Hibriten, the Panthers went 3-2 in the old Southern District 7 2A. They finish tied for third in the league and reached the second round of the state 2A playoffs before being eliminated by Mooresville. It was the first playoff varsity football team at Hibriten since 1983.

Baldwin left Hibriten to become head coach at Watauga, guiding the Pioneers to a 3-8 record in 1996.

After returning to coach in the Greater Hickory area at East Burke, he left the coaching staff of Mike Biggerstaff, who was the second head football coach after West Caldwell opened in 1977 (1978 through 1993).

West Caldwell will start immediately to search for a new head coach. He will be the ninth since the school opened and seventh since Biggerstaff left coaching for private business in 1993.

The new head coach will inherit a program that has gone 19-82 over the last nine seasons and one that has four state playoff berths since 1990.

“The thing I want to do first is look internal,” Link said. “Then we’ll look at possibilities from inside our school system that’s interested.

“Then if we don’t find the right fit, we’ll look out and search elsewhere for a coach.

“It (make a change) is definitely not something I wanted to do as a first-year principal, but it’s something I felt like I needed to do and had to do.”

Baldwin said he loves to coach and will keep his options open as to whether or not he will coach again.

“I plan to look around and see what’s available,” Baldwin said. “I’d like to keep coaching and if a head coaching job comes around and is attractive, I’ll consider it. But an offensive coordinator or just an assistant is open; I’d like to stay involved with it. I’m too old to have that ego trip of having to be a head coach, but I would like to stay involved.”