Communities from across the state rally behind suspended wrestling coaches in Davidson County
{Members of the Ledford High School wrestling team spoke at the Davidson County Board of Education on Monday asking them to reinstate their suspended coaches.
Several members of the community wearing t-shirts supporting suspended Ledford and Central Davidson wrestling coaches spoke at the Davidson County Board of Education meeting on Monday. Photo Credit: Sharon Myers}
It was standing room only at the Davidson County Board of Education meeting on Monday when over 200 parents, students, and other community members showed up to voice their displeasure over the suspension of three long-time wrestling coaches.
Coaches Tim Ellenberger and Andy Chappell from Ledford High School and Carter Ellenberger of Central Davidson High School were suspended from their coaching positions in June.
The situation allegedly stems from a trip to a wrestling camp to Brevard in Transylvania County. According to supporters of the coaches, they were unduly suspended because of a technicality concerning approval to transport students from different schools on the same bus.
But many believe it was in response to a social media post on June 12 claiming a Davidson County student experienced a near-drowning while under the supervision of the wrestling coaches during a trip to Sliding Rock. A statement from Davidson County Schools the following day said the post was “not completely accurate”, and no student was harmed during the incident.
The parents of the student involved in the incident posted support for the coaches, absolving them of any negligence and denying the accuracy of the post.
There was no further information provided by the school district, but on June 30 the petitions for the three coaches began circulating, calling for their reinstatement.
Maurice Atwood, the 2023 – 2024 National Wrestling Coach of the Year from Eastern Guilford High School, said he has competed against the Ledford coaches over the years, and in the 20 years he has known them, they were held with the utmost respect across the North Carolina wrestling community. Over his 24-year career, Atwood's teams have posted 865 dual-team wins, including 12 team state titles. A total of 39 individual wrestlers have also won state titles under Atwood's guidance.
Atwood encouraged the board to call for public vote on Monday night, noting that more than 40 schools across the state are seeking wrestling coaches.
“What’s happening here is a travesty,” said Atwood. “You have two guys who are hall of famers, who have dedicated their lives to public service. You will not find anyone with the impeccable credentials that they bring. We have to lead with common sense and common sense should tell anyone here that we shouldn't be finding reasons to get rid of quality coaches because of a technicality.”
He said at most, the coaches should have been issued a warning, not removed from their positions, especially given their experience and dedication.
Mason Scott, a senior at Ledford High School and a member of the wrestling team, said the social media post was untrue, that the team and coaches handled a tense situation calmly, and that the coaches didn’t deserve to be suspended. He said their coaches had been nothing but supportive and have encouraged him outside of wrestling.
“Without these coaches to guide us and mentor us we could not be who we are today. Our team is respectfully asking you to reinstate our coaches. We need them more than you know, and I can’t live my senior year without my coaches,” said Scott.
Many of those who spoke at the school board meeting said the suspensions were unfair because the coaches went through the proper channels, even getting prior approval of the school board, to take the students to the wrestling camp.
Christina Leech said that just as with the Ledford coaches, Carter Ellenburger has had a positive impact on the students at Central Davidson High School. She said nothing these coaches did was intentional or warranted such a harsh punishment.
“While I understand the importance of accountability, I respectfully ask you to consider both the context and the long-term consequences of this decision. Coach Ellenberger's oversight was administrative, not malicious. In a time when our schools are struggling to retain quality staff.... we must think carefully before we remove folks who are deeply invested in our kids,” said Leech.
Donald Palmer, former athletic director at Ledford High School, said Ellenberger and Chappell ran the wrestling program with honor and integrity, and that the loss of these experienced coaches will have a negative impact on the students, as well as the community
“When you have two coaches with the honor and reputation like Tim and Andy, you shouldn’t be looking for ways to get rid of them,” said Palmer. “There are schools all over North Carolina who would be happy to have just one of these hall of fame coaches running their wrestling program.”
He said his father was on the Davidson County school board for 16 years, and during his tenure incidents that occurred such as these would have been discussed with the board weighing the severity of the infraction, noting any past issues, looking at the positive impact these coaches have had over the years and then considering the repercussions that dismissing them would cause and the message it would send to other employees.
Chappell was recognized as the Mat News Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2004 and the National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year for North Carolina in 2005. He retired in 2016 after 32 years of teaching Special Education.
Tim Ellenberger is recognized as a National Hall of Fame coach, and is also a retired captain with the High Point Police Department.
The three coaches currently have appealed their suspensions, but no further information, including when a decision could be made on overturning the suspensions, has been released by Davidson County Schools.
