The following story was published in Issue 1 of The Paolite, 2017
In sports as graduates bid farewell underclassman rise to fill the spots. When a coach leaves a similar routine occurs with new faces taking the lead.
Former head football coach Brian Balsmeyer stepped down from his position last year to spend more time with his family. Former head volleyball coach Casey Bowles also stepped down and is now head coach for the Lincoln High School volleyball team in Vincennes.
The two coaches who filled their shoes are not new to Paoli, not new to coaching the sport, but new to the head coach position.
Alicia Clark is no stranger to Paoli having been the algebra teacher and former JV volleyball coach for five years. Clark accepted the Varsity volleyball head coach position this past summer. Clark began playing volleyball when she was in the seventh grade and absolutely loved it.
“My school did not offer elementary volleyball, so I hadn’t even tried it until then. My mom played volleyball in high school, and I just wanted to play because I knew she liked it so much,” said Clark. “Good thing I tried because I ended up falling in love with it.”
Clark loved the game so much she took her skills to college to play at Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana for four years. After graduating college in 2013, she knew she did not want to give up on what she loved so soon, so she decided the best way to continue her passion was through coaching.
“I knew that coaching would be the way to keep my love of the game going, and I always felt like I had a lot of knowledge that needed to be shared,” said Clark.
This season, Clark is hoping for another successful season like last year where the girls made it all the way to Regional.
“The girls have set their goals high after coming off last year’s great season. We hope to win the conference and repeat as Sectional and Regional champions. A lot of us have dreamed much bigger than that,” said Clark.
Another coach who is taking the reins this season is Jeremy Lowery, filling Balsmeyer’s position as head football coach.
Lowery, who has been on staff for eight years as an assistant, this season was announced as the new Paoli football coach.
Lowery is no stranger to the game of football, having been playing since he was nine years old and coaching for 22 years. Lowery has had football in his life for a very long time. After high school, Lowery received a football scholarship to play at Western Kentucky University. Unfortunately injuries held Lowery back from more seasons than he hoped.
“When injuries prevented me from playing, I knew I had to find a way to still be a part of the game. Coaching has filled that void, and I have never looked back,” said Lowery.
Despite graduating from Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana, Lowery also has roots in Paoli football from his two nephews who graduated from Paoli and played on the football team while he was coaching.
This season, Lowery is not only looking forward to a successful year, but also eager to develop a team successful on and off the field.
“We want to build a team that enjoys playing together, always competes and that is fully committed to success in everything we do,” said Lowery.
Along with success on the field, the boys, as well as Lowery and the coaching staff, are hoping to walk away with some championship wins this season.
“Our goal is to win championships. We have the opportunity to win six championships this year: County, Conference, Sectional, Regional, Semi-state, and State,” said Lowery.
Both Lowery and Clark are hoping for a great seasons filled with improvement and, of course, a few wins along the way. Good luck to both coaches as they take this step forward into their new coaching journey.
Story by Maggie Vincent
