SLHS names Brooks Cawood head coach of soccer program

Les Dixon, The Sentinel Echo, London, Ky.
·2 min read

Mar. 1—LONDON — The search for a new soccer coach at South Laurel is over, and the hire is a familiar face.

Brooks Cawood, who has spent the last eight years as an assistant coach at South Laurel, will replace former coach Joey Marcum, who stepped down in January.

Marcum coached seven years at South Laurel, posting a record of 102-51-6 with three region championships and three region runner-ups. This led to two Sweet 16 and one Elite 8 appearance in the state tournament. During that stretch, the team also had three district championships and three runner-ups.

"Mr. Marcum left the program in great shape," Cawood said. "When he told me he was going to step down, I was begging him to stay. He has been really influential for me. He taught me how to coach student-athletes and how to run a program. He has been a great role model to have."

South Laurel athletic director Ryan Nolan said he's excited to continue to see Cawood continue South Laurel's success on the soccer field.

"Brooks has been part of a staff that saw multiple region championships while the program had success on and off the field," he said. "He brings a lot of high school experience, and I feel he can continue the success that we had under coach Marcum."

Even though the season is more than five months away, Cawood didn't waste any time, he's ready for the season to begin.

"I'm excited," he admitted. "I'm ready to keep the program headed in the same direction coach Marcum has it going before he left. We've got a great group of kids and he's built such a great culture that I want to maintain and I'm excited to be a part of it.

"I think it's real Important to set goals, and we also want to continue to have good kids that are good citizens in our community," Cawood added. "I want our kids to continue to make good grades, too. We want to win and continue to be competitive."