Winds of Change–Sloan, Garner among resignations

Posted By: dkinnard
April 22, 2022 @ 3:42 pm
Basketball, Benton, Elverado, Herrin, Slider, Track & Field, Volleyball

Darren Kinnard
Section618.com

Two of the area’s top coaches have resigned–Andy Sloan at Benton and Shane Garner at Sesser-Valier. The moves came on a night filled with comings and goings in the area.

Spring board meetings are when schools set their staffs for the following school year, including many coaching decisions. Multiple school boards met Thursday night, leading to a load of coaching and athletic director moves.

Andy Sloan talks about the Benton Summer Slam basketball shootout.

At Benton, Sloan resigned as girls basketball and girls track and field coach. Sloan’s teams won two state championships and six sectional titles during his 16 years as the Rangerettes’ track and field head coach. Benton girls basketball was 203-81 with three regional championships during Sloan’s tenure.

Ryan Miller, who is Benton’s athletic director, resigned as the Rangerettes’ head softball coach effective at the end of the season, as the school moves away from administrators also coaching. Sloan and Ron Winemiller each resigned as assistant athletic directors. Alyssa Mitchell also resigned as the girls tennis coach.

Shane Garner talks about the Red Devils’ winning the S-V Holiday Tournament.

Benton hired Shane Garner for a PE teaching position and as assistant athletic director. Garner leaves Sesser-Valier, where he was 168-98 as his alma mater’s boys basketball head coach over the past nine seasons. Garner’s teams won four regional and two sectional championships, as well as a fourth place finish at state in 2014.

Benton also hired former Rangerettes standout Christy Hayden to take over as the next head volleyball coach.

Benton was not the only school making multiple changes. Herrin hired Stephanie Allen to be its next athletic director and assistant principal. Allen, who currently teaches third grade and is the Tigers’ head softball coach, will replace Andrew Anderson. Anderson is leaving the AD post to become full-time assistant principal at the high school.

Herrin also hired a pair of head coaches. Gabby Woodis will be the Tigers new head volleyball coach replacing Karen Jurich. Jacob Emling is the new girls head basketball coach. Emling, who is currently the athletic director and head softball coach at Elverado, will replace Chris Roberts.