Red Devils football veteran leaving for Heide Trask
RED SPRINGS — Lawrence Ches has resigned as the head football coach at Red Springs High School after five seasons, the school announced Tuesday.
Ches is leaving the Red Devils program to become the head coach at Heide Trask. He ends his tenure with the Red Devils with a 29-20 overall record and a 21-16 mark in conference play.
“I’m mostly proud of the kids; I’m mostly proud of the influence I’ve had on so many young men,” Ches said. “I’ll never forget; all these kids have my number, and they can reach out to me any time. Once you’re their coach, you’re always their coach.”
Ches’ best Red Devils team won the Three Rivers Conference championship in 2019 and reached the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 2A state playoffs. In the spring 2021 season, Red Springs played St. Pauls in a de facto conference championship game in the regular-season finale, but the Red Devils fell to their rivals and lost in the first round of the playoffs the following week. The team struggled to a 1-6 mark last fall, hampered by injuries and COVID-19-related issues.
Ches met with his team Tuesday morning to inform them of his decision.
“That’s by far the hardest (part), is to have the personal conversation with people that mean the most,” Ches said. “It’s by far the toughest thing. Obviously the players are the thing that means the most to me, and it’s always tough when you’ve got disappointing news.”
Ches has been involved with the Red Springs football program since 2007 as either assistant coach or head coach, outside of a two-season run as an assistant coach at Lumberton; he replaced Ron Cook as head coach after the 2016 season after serving as the Red Devils’ offensive coordinator.
“I thought he did well as an assistant, and then exceptionally well as a head coach, moving the program in the right direction,” Red Springs Athletic Director Glenn Patterson Sr. said. “He’s going to be truly missed; I wish him much success at the new job.”
“I don’t know too much else besides Red Springs football, Robeson County football since I’ve been in North Carolina,” Ches said. “So this is going to be a big step to test myself.”
This marks the second time Chris Howell has hired Ches as head football coach; Howell promoted Ches from offensive coordinator to head coach when he was Red Springs’ athletic director, and now has hired the coach again as Heide Trask’s athletic director. Ches inherits a Heide Trask program on a 17-game losing streak dating back to Oct. 2019.
“This is kind of like a family move a little bit, moving to a little different area,” Ches said. “I look forward to having a rebuild at Heide Trask; I know they haven’t had too many wins in the last few seasons, but I feel like I’m good at building a program, instilling a hard work ethic and I think that’s a good way to get things moving.”
The search is underway for a new coach at Red Springs.
“I’m looking for someone that can come in and continue what Coach Ches has done, and that’s to move the program in the right direction,” Patterson Sr. said. “Of course, everybody wants a winning program. I’m looking for someone that’s going to come here and build a rapport with our kids and get our kids on the right track, and get them to buy into whatever they’re doing so we can compete. We’re in a great conference, with Clinton and St. Pauls, so we want a caliber of coach that can have our team competing on that level.”
Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.