Dresden's Hewett will finish '11 season, then step down

By KEVIN WEAKS
Press Sports
Dresden High School football head coach Scott Hewett is resigning from his coaching duties — at the end of the season.
Clarifying remarks he made on a local morning radio talk show for prep football head coaches over the weekend, Hewett told The Press on Sunday afternoon  he will step down at the end of the current season.
Dresden is 2-1 following a 19-7 loss to McKenzie at home on Friday night.
The decision to step down was not a snap one for Hewett, who said it is something he has been contemplating for several weeks now as a result of a change in school system policy.
“I’ve been thinking about it for some time now, since back when the school board said (school administrators) couldn’t coach until after school,” said Hewett, who serves as Dresden’s assistant principal.
“It’s not fair to the other coaches who are already down there working when I get there after school.”
Hewett indicated that the new policy was not creating problems with preparing his team.
“The coaches are doing a great job,” Hewett said. “When I get down there in the afternoons, things are working smoothly.”
Hewett also said he might be open to helping the Lions’ program in an assistant or voluntary role after this season.
Hewett’s decision, first aired live on the WCMT program “Coaches Corner” on Saturday morning, was most notable for its timing, coming after the team’s loss to McKenzie.
Following that game, Hewett chose not to allow his players to go through the customary post-game handshake.
The Lion head coach also explained his philosophy on that decision, for which he has taken heat from not only McKenzie people in attendance but his own team’s fans as well.
“Afterward, I thought there might be a problem, so I’d already decided before the game was over to keep my kids on the sideline,” Hewett said. “I was trying to avoid a problem, not create one. There had been some shoving and mouthing going on during the game, and I could see the potential for something bad happening. I made the decision, and I don’t care what others think of it.
“The atmosphere at the end of the game was highly contentious, and tempers were running high. But if I’d known it was going to be such an issue, I probably would have been the first one out there to shake hands.”
Hewett is in the fourth year of his second tour of duty as Dresden’s head coach and 16th year overall.
He has an 84-81 career record, including an 18-18 mark during his current stint.
The Lions will host Stewart County on Friday night.

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