New Hope announced on Friday that a familiar face from the Golden Triangle has made its way onto the staff of the Trojans’ football team – former Starkville Academy head coach Chase Nicholson.
After spending 17 years with the Volunteers’ football program, the last 11 as head coach, Nicholson and Starkville Academy parted ways in late March and now he’s set to return to the sidelines, this time wearing black and gold at New Hope.
“It’s really exciting,” said Nicholson, who finished his career at Starkville Academy with an 89-45 overall record that includes a state championship ring. “I’m really excited about getting to work with (New Hope head Allen Glenn) and the whole staff. I was very fortunate to meet Coach Glenn a few years ago and I guess maybe that was a seed that got planted and grew into this, so here I am. I am excited to be (here) and I hope I can help. That’s what he hired me for and that’s what I love; I love coaching ball, and I love kids and I love working with a great coach. I feel like I landed myself in a great situation to get all three of those things.”
For Glenn, the hire didn’t require a ton of deliberation. The two got to know each other a few years ago when Glenn was the head coach at Petal and nearby private school wanted to use Petal’s field to play Nicholson’s Volunteers. Those conversations gave Glenn a chance to see Nicholson lead his team and helped set up the eventual move to bring the former SA coach on board.
“I got to see him coach and kind of how his kids played, and I have a lot of respect for him coming out of that experience,” Glenn told The Dispatch. “Then just talking to other guys that I respect in the coaching world, Chase came highly recommended and after talking to him it was a no-brainer. I think it’s a home-run hire for us.”
Nicholson’s hiring at New Hope is a return to his earliest coaching roots. He played wide receiver in high school at Newton Academy and his first coaching job was with wide receivers at Starkville Academy.
“I’ve been very fortunate to coach wideouts early in my career so I’m just knocking the dust off it,” Nicholson said. “I’ve always coached them as a coordinator and as a head coach still coaching that position, but I’ve been fortunate enough that I’ve had great coaches who’ve worked with me and coached that position.”
Along with Nicholson’s knowledge of the position, Glenn said having a guy on staff who has been a successful head coach for over a decade will help the program flourish in more ways than one.
“I think he’s going to bring a lot of knowledge, not only football but he’s been doing it a long time,” Glenn said. “He’s been a successful head coach and I love having guys like that on staff. Me being a head coach, it’s good to have a guy on staff who has been there and done that and has gone through some of the same things that I go through as a head coach. Not only will Chase have a very big hand in what we do offensively, but he can be a sounding board for me when things come up on the head coaching side of things, he can be one that I can really lean on or reach out to in that regard.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
