Woodbridge football coach resigns; Buckland adds to trophy case.
Salesianum principal William McCandless announced Wednesday that Doug Nowell has resigned his position as head baseball coach.
“Salesianum is grateful for all the good things that coach Nowell has brought to our students and school community,” he said in a released statement. “We wish him much luck and success in his future endeavors.”
Nowell’s resignation comes as a surprise following a four-year tenure which saw him lead Sallies to a 74-18 record, including a state championship in 2006. Salesianum reached at least the semifinal round of the state tournament in each of Nowell’s four seasons.
This past season, the program went 16-6 before being knocked out of the state tournament in the semifinal round by eventual runner-up Sussex Central.
"I just felt like it was time to move on," Nowell told The News Journal on the evening of his resignation. "I felt I put four good years in there and made some great relationships with kids there and great friends. But I felt it's a good time to move on, possibly to future ventures."
It is widely speculated that Nowell may have been forced to resign, primarily because of his self-admitted demanding coaching style. Both a player and parent, each who spoke under the condition of anonymity, confirmed this as a possibility.
When asked to respond to the speculation, McCandless reiterated what he said in his original statement.
“Doug Nowell is a Salesianum graduate, a successful coach and he remains a welcome member of the Salesianum community. As a matter of policy, Salesianum does not publicly discuss personnel matters. Therefore, I can only reiterate that it was Coach Nowell's decision to resign.”
Nowell’s overall coaching record is 106-82, including stints as head coach at Delcastle (two seasons) and A.I. du Pont (three seasons). He did not hold a faculty or staff position at Salesianum.
Messages put into Nowell and athletic director Michael Hart were not returned.
Football: Parker ends second stint as Woodbridge coach
John Parker, 52, resigned as the head football coach at Woodbridge High School to take a teaching job at Indian River High School.
“It was one of toughest decisions I have made in regards to coaching,” said Parker, who taught driver education and physical education at the school. “Woodbridge has been a part of my family for 12 years. I started coaching the local Pop Warner team there.”
Parker, who played at nearby Sussex Central High, began his career at Woodbridge, where he served as head coach for two years before moving on to become the first head coach at Sussex Tech in 1991. He led the Ravens to the Division II title in 1993.
Parker then returned to Woodbridge in 1998, and led his 1999 team to a 10-0 regular season record before losing to Middletown in the semifinal round of the Division II state tournament.
Woodbridge failed to win a game during the 2008 season, Parker’s last. But despite the winless record, he was proud of his team through the very last game.
“I believe that success is the pursuit of excellence, which is striving to do your very best no matter what obstacles are in front of you and working at your best each and every day,” Parker said. “The bottom line is to assist youngsters to develop into young men.”
Because the move to Indian River, where Parker will teach driver education, is not football related — the school is located just a few miles from his Milton home — Parker says he would welcome an opportunity to coach again.
“If it fits into [Indian River head coach] Jimmy Bunting’s plans, I certainly would welcome the opportunity to coach under him,” he said. “My Reason for coaching and teaching is still the same, to enrich the lives of those with whom I come in contact. The great team game of football offers the opportunity to teach character and promote to the players that they need their teammates. They all will have to overcome obstacles, and find positive solutions to the problems.”
Baseball: Buckland adds another trophy
Caravel graduate Eric Buckland was named Delaware’s 2009 Louisville Slugger State High School Baseball Player of the Year.
Buckland was a 2009 first team All-State selection as a pitcher for the Buccaneers. He was 6-3 with a 1.02 ERA and batted .424 with a .784 slugging percentage.
Buckland was also the recipient of the Gatorade Delaware High School Baseball Player of the Year award for the second straight season, and was one of 120 players invited to the USA Baseball National Team Trials. He plans to play at the University of Delaware.
Jon Buzby is the Delaware correspondent for MaxPreps.com.
