Pioneer staffs undergo changes:Madewell moves to varsity team; Watson to head WCMS program
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Chris Madewell, who guided the Warren County Middle School program to its most successful season last year, has moved up to the Pioneer varsity staff.
“I’m excited about moving up to that level,” said Madewell, who spent two years as an assistant coach at WCMS and the last two as the team’s head coach. “It’s something I always wanted do eventually, and I feel it’s a good opportunity for me.
“With coach Tidwell coming in there’s a lot of excitement around the program, and now is as good a time as any to move up.”
Replacing Madewell at WCMS will be Jeff Watson, who has served for the last two seasons as the team’s top assistant.
“We’re pretty excited about it,” Tidwell said of the coaching moves. “They’re both eager to get started, and we’re all looking forward to working with them.”
Madewell will coach wide receivers and the defensive secondary, after spending the last four years coahing at WCMS.
“I heard a lot of good things about him when I first applied for the (head coaching) job,” Tidwell said of his newest assistant. “Then I got down here, and I got the impression Chris wanted to stay where he was.
“But he called me about a month before school was out, and told me he wanted to pursue a math job that was open at the high school, and wanted to know what his chances were of joining the varsity staff.”
Madewell, a former Pioneer himself, joins a staff consisting of Tidwell, Matt Turner, John Dryden and Brian Duncan. While some of the faces on the coaching staff will be new, he said he’s familiar with most of the players on this year’s squad.
“My first year I came in was four years ago, so I’ve coached most of them in one way or another,” he said. “The first group I worked with are the seniors now, so I’ll get to be with the guys I’ve been with in the past. I’m looking forward to that.”
“We’re tickled to have him up here with us,” Tidwell added. “We feel he’s done well with a lot of these kids at the middle school level, and he’ll be able to help us as they progress in their football careers.”
Watson, who worked primarily with the WCMS defense last season, will be assisted this fall by Donnie Harris, who will coach quarterbacks and serve as offensive coordinator, and Jeff Lee, who will coach both sides of the Pioneer line and serve as the team’s defensive coordinator.
“I’m just taking that next step up,” Watson said. “We’re really excited about the kids we’ve got coming up, and it looks good right now. We’re just hoping to continue what coach Madewell got started.
“It’s going a little bit slower than normal, because we’re trying to put in the same system Coach Tidwell uses. But we’re looking forward to it.”
Tidwell said he’s very excited about the experienced assistant and his staff remaining with the program, and admires Watson’s enthusiasm heading into this season.
“Coach Watson is itching to get started, and we’re looking forward to working with him,” he said. “The thing about him, and also about coach Madewell, that I really like is the way they want to do the same things we want to do. Coach Watson wants to install the same system at the middle school level we’re using with the varsity, and that can only help these guys on down the road.”
The Pioneer varsity begins summer camp next week, while practice on the middle school level is scheduled to begin July 29.