Surprising news from Cleveland County: Jim Sosebee, former head coach of Crest football team, has stepped down from his position.

After spending six seasons as the head coach at Hendersonville, Sosebee took over leadership of Crest for two seasons. News of his departure was first reported by Joe L. Hughes II of the Shelby Star. According to the athletic director Jeff Melton as quoted in the Shelby Star, Sosebee chose to leave in order to explore other opportunities.

In 2023, Crest ended the season with a 13-1 record. However, despite their success, the Chargers were defeated by Dudley in the fourth round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s 3A West state playoffs with a final score of 46-34.

Under his leadership in his debut season, the Crest team achieved a record of 9 wins and 4 losses.

Sosebee expressed to Joe L. Hughes that she believed fully committing to pursuing other opportunities was necessary rather than being indecisive. She also felt it was considerate to not leave the person replacing her in a difficult position, especially in March. It was not an easy conversation with her team today, causing emotions and mixed feelings. However, she is grateful that they are concluding with improvements from when they began.

During his tenure as head coach, Sosebee guided the Bearcats to a total record of 49-24 at Hendersonville over a span of six seasons.

Sosebee was a tight end for the University of South Carolina’s football team. He later coached at various South Carolina high schools, including Byrnes, Greenville, Riverside, and Southside.

As a head coach, he has won 107 games and lost 55.

Source: highschoolot.com