SPARTA – Mike DeLaney has handed the reigns of the Highland girls soccer program over to Anthony Wilson.
The move was in the cards since Wilson joined the high school staff before the start of the 2019 season and was supposed to happen before the start of the 2021 season. But the COVID-19 pandemic created more work for DeLaney, who serves as Highland’s athletic director, and it forced the move sooner than first anticipated.
DeLaney officially resigned at the Sept. 9 school board meeting and Wilson was officially made the head coach.
“I’ve been getting myself ready, (beginning) last year and this year, helping Coach DeLaney with the game plans and stuff,” Wilson told the Mount Vernon News. “Stepping into the role, I felt like I was ready for it. It’s a ton of responsibility, but it’s something that I’ve been waiting for.”
DeLaney was never supposed to be a long-term head coach when he took over the program before the 2019 season. He brought on Wilson with the idea of handing over the reins.
“We pretty much co-coached the team,” DeLaney told the News. “We pretty much shared those duties. I did all of the administrative stuff. In terms of actually coaching the team and coming up with game plans to win, we came to those decisions in conjunction with one another.
Because of timing, Wilson will not have a dedicated assistant coach for the remainder of the season. But he’ll have one beginning next season.
“It’s difficult to keep things organized and do it all by yourself,” DeLaney said. “I still help him from time to time behind the scenes. I still try to help him out as much as I can.”
“Obviously, it’s a big undertaking,” Wilson said. “This year is a different type of year. Everybody that’s in public service … you have to be able to step up to the plate when you’re called.”
Prior to joining the varsity program, Wilson was on the staff at the middle school level for three seasons, and he had a season at Gilead Christian High School in Mount Gilead.
DeLaney finished with a record of 10-9-3 over his one-plus seasons at the helm. The Scots went 8-7-2 last season for their first winning season in program history.
Wilson’s first game was a 3-0 loss to Licking Valley on Sept. 12. Since then, the Scots have rolled off four straight wins, including a 5-3 comeback victory over Pleasant on Sept. 26 in Marion.
Highland trailed 3-0 at the half and 3-1 with less than 25 minutes remaining. Emma Hinkle had three goals and an assist, Izzy Arnett-Tomasek added two goals and a pair of assists, and Amarie Morgan helped out with an assist for the Scots (6-3-1).
It was the biggest comeback in program history.
Hinkle leads the team with 15 goals this season and Arnett-Tomasek has seven assists. Freshman Kayley Smith has 48 saves and recorded her first career shutout in Highland’s 1-0 win over Lakewood on Sept. 19.
“We’ve got a really good thing going here,” Wilson said. “Our culture is really good.”
