Lincoln Seeks Coaches

CREED, MENDOZA AND STARTS LEAVE DISTRICT

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Pit crew. Former Lincoln assistant track and field and football coach Erwin Starts supervises while students Lane Sellers and Bryce Swinford measure the distance of a shot put throw during the first-ever track and field meet hosted by Lincoln High School on Thursday, March 28. Lincoln utilized a host of coaches from varying sports and students to keep up with the competition. Starts resigned at the end of the school year and Lincoln is looking to fill vacated coaching positions.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Pit crew. Former Lincoln assistant track and field and football coach Erwin Starts supervises while students Lane Sellers and Bryce Swinford measure the distance of a shot put throw during the first-ever track and field meet hosted by Lincoln High School on Thursday, March 28. Lincoln utilized a host of coaches from varying sports and students to keep up with the competition. Starts resigned at the end of the school year and Lincoln is looking to fill vacated coaching positions.

LINCOLN -- Change is in the wind at Lincoln with the district seeking to fill at least one coaching position plus that of band director and choir teacher.

All of these jobs contain an impact upon the athletic program, which celebrated the Wolves qualifying for state last school year, 2018-2019, in five sports: 4A football, 3A girls basketball, 3A baseball and 3A girls soccer, plus two boys (Adam Keith and Eli Rich) earning a trip to the State 3A track and field meet.

The Wolves' football coaching staff has shrunk from an all-time high of eight in 2017, beginning with the resignation of long-time assistant Justin Bounds, who was part of three of Lincoln's five playoff campaigns, at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. Bounds' football resignation coincided with his departure as head baseball coach, a post he held four seasons.

Now both jobs are open.

Football

Don Harrison remains Lincoln's head football coach, having guided the Wolves to playoff appearances in 2015 and 2018.

One of his top assistants, Reed Mendoza, who served as offensive coordinator for the varsity as well as junior high head coach for two seasons, left to become head football coach at Dover. Mendoza taught eighth grade social studies at Lincoln.

Mendoza's hiring at Dover generated much dialogue on Fearless Friday. A June 1 post by a person self-identified as an assistant coach states, "Reed is a close friend of mine I have known since we were teenagers. The pirates are not only getting a great coach but godly man as well. He will build a solid foundation and not take any shortcuts. Good luck to Coach Mendoza and the Pirates."

Mendoza is portrayed as a very solid hire for Dover by another Fearless Friday post from June 2, which states, "...younger coaches are hungry and want to prove themselves. Mendoza is a high energy type coach that brings a lot of enthusiasm to a program. His time at Dardanelle definitely gave him experience in developing highly conditioned players, one of the areas Dover previously seemed weakest in. I was impressed with what little I was able to see from him and am anxious to see how the Pirates respond to the new leader."

Beau Collins is Lincoln's defensive coordinator and head softball coach. Collins took the Lincoln girls to the State 4A softball tournament in 2016 and 2017, narrowly missing qualifying in Regionals during 2018.

Austin Lewis serves as an assistant, who coaches the defensive line and serves as head girls soccer coach. Lewis guided the Lady Wolves into the State 3A quarterfinals in 2019.

Perry Philpot is an assistant football coach and middle school assistant principal Stan Karber, who served as interim head girls basketball coach to close out the 2016-2017 season, has been brought aboard by Harrison as Strength and Conditioning coach.

Baseball

Mendoza led the Wolves into the State 3A baseball tournament during his only season as head coach in 2019.

A listing submitted by Lincoln athletic director Deon Birkes posted on the Arkansas Activities Association website June 3, 2019, states, "Lincoln High School has an opening for Head Baseball Coach and Assistant Football possible coordinator and Head Jr. High Coach. Please apply online at www.lincolncsd.com under the Departments tab down to the Personnel. Also send resume to [email protected] with teaching certificate. Teaching position is preferably Math, English but is negotiable."

Track And Field

Assistant coach Erwin Starts also worked with the football program. Starts taught history at Lincoln High School. He resigned at the end of the school year.

Tim Rich is currently Lincoln head track and field coach. Starts and Michelle Lumsargis served as assistants for 2019. Lumsargis works with the volleyball program and is an assistant girls basketball coach.

Cross Country

Lauren Creed, who taught English and served as Lincoln's cross country coach resigned. Creed coached the Lincoln volleyball team to its best record in school history going 9-9 in the regular season during 2017, then dropping a match in District 4A-1 play to finish 9-10. She did not coach volleyball with Lincoln reverting to 3A in 2018.

Sports on 06/12/2019