Clinton boys' soccer coach Brad Spell wins Male Coach of the Year at HSOT Honors

Clinton High School soccer coach Brad Spell won HighSchoolOT’s Male Coach of the Year award on Saturday night, capping off a spectacular year for the Dark Horses.

The boy’s soccer team won the 2A state title in the fall, winning the first ever soccer title for a Sampson County school.

The Dark Horses had never made it out of the fourth round of the playoffs, until this season. Spell said that this team had something extra, and he felt it at the beginning of the season.

“This was my 20th season coaching at Clinton High School, and one thing that I saw early from these kids was that they had a lot of grit to them, you could see that from the preseason,” Spell said. “You could just feel it on the field that these kids wanted something really special.”

This season, Spell had to change up his coaching philosophy. Normally the boisterous, high-intensity type, he took his foot off and let his captains call some of the shots.

“I had to learn to be a different kind of coach. Normally, I’m always on them, some may even call me a little grumpy, I want the guys to really focus on detail and moving with a purpose and playing with passion. I kind of let the reigns off a little bit this year. I let the captains take control and asked them what they thought that we needed to do in certain situations. I like to be in control, but I let these boys take it.”

Giving control to the players was a difficult adjustment for Spell, but he noted that it was ultimately the right choice

“It was a hard adjustment, but it was the right adjustment,” Spell said. “I’ve been told multiple times by my other coaches, ‘coach they’re okay, trust them.’ I think I let a lot more trust go with my captains and my seniors this year.”

There has always been tremendous local support for Dark Horse athletics, but Spell said that winning that title was a rallying point in the community.

“I can’t say enough about our community, our parents, our coaches, our fans,” he said. “This has been a victory, not for coach Spell and Clinton High School, but this has been a victory for Sampson County and the city of Clinton. Everybody has been phenomenal, feeding us, supporting us, congratulating us. It’s basically been like a nine month journey, its been a great feeling and we want to continue it.”

Spell is very humble about his success during his career at Clinton, often differing to the players and staff, but the recognition is well deserved.

“I know that if you want to have a successful program, you have to be together. It cant be just about one person or one player, its got to be about everybody just coming together an believing in each other.”

One of the things that Spell emphasizes in addition to success on the field is success off the field and making sure his players turn into good men after they leave Clinton. He uses his position has a coach, and soon to be athletic director, to ensure that his athletes understand that there are learning opportunities in sports that extend beyond X’s and O’s.

“We have a motto that we have been using for the past 14 years, and that is ‘through darkness the eyes will see,’ and what that means is how are you going to react through adversity, not just on the soccer field, but in life. You don’t get the job you want or your family is going through a bad situation, how are you going to bounce back? You have to stay positive, everything always has to be next play.”

It’s easy to see why Spell is highly respected in the coaching world. He won National High School Soccer Coach of the Year, traveling to Chicago with his wife earlier this year as well as numerous local coaching awards.

His coaching philosophy is simple, be good people first, good athletes second.

“As a coach for 20 years, I lose sleep over kids not doing what they are supposed to be doing, not losing a ball game. If we give everything we can on the field and the other team is better, they are better. But we have to be mature and teach these gentlemen to not just be boys, but become men later in life.”

Spell is very humble in his success, crediting his players and staff. But the one word he often uses to describe himself is a fitting descriptor for the Dark Horse season as a whole.

Blessed. ​