The Salem R-80 Board of Education filled a huge void in its athletic department May 18 by hiring high school head coaches in four sports.
According to Salem High School Athletic Director Clay Moody, Tiger head coaches hired at the Thursday board of education meeting were Neal Myers in track, Will Hubbs cross country, Deanna Atkinson volleyball and Rebekah Hayes softball.
Resigning their respective positions earlier this month were Derek Freeman as both track and cross-country head coach, Erin Wilson as softball head coach and Kristen Barnes as volleyball head coach.
In addition, Wilson was the Salem winter cheerleading coach.
Also Thursday one of several vacant football assistant coach positions was filled with the hiring of Jackson Mitchell, who was a volunteer coach on the Rolla High School staff in 2022.
According to Moody, Kristen Barnes and her husband, former Salem football head coach Bryson Barnes, are moving to Ste. Genevieve, while Freeman is going to Collinsville, Ill. and Wilson to Rolla.
Three of the four new head coaches have Salem backgrounds.
Hayes was Wilson’s softball assistant this spring. She was also the girls’ basketball junior varsity assistant coach and helped coach middle school basketball this school year.
Atkinson was a teacher at Dent Phelps R-III this year and coached middle school volleyball. She knows volleyball well, having served as a volleyball official for four years.
Hubbs is a teacher and longtime coach of the Salem High boys’ tennis team.
“Will also had a couple years as cross country coach two years ago,” Moody said. “He’s good with kids. He’s already had a meeting with the cross country kids, and a ton of kids showed up. We’re very excited having those numbers.”
Myers will now wear a couple head coaching hats at Salem, as he was recently hired as the new Tiger football head coach, replacing Bryson Barnes, who resigned.
“He was going to do an assistant role in track,” Moody said of Myers. “And when the head coaching job came open, he had interest. He’ll have some good kids to work with next year. We’re kind of building a foundation with multi-sport athletes, and we have a couple (track) assistants back and some mentors he can rely on.”
Kristen Barnes ended her three-season stint as Lady Tiger volleyball head coach by finishing with the finest season in years during 2022. Salem ended last fall with a 26-9-1 record and advanced to the championship match of the Missouri Class 3 District 9 Tournament.
“She did a tremendous job,” Moody said. “You couldn’t have asked for a better job the last three years, and I’m talking as both a parent and athletic director.”
There are still assistant coaches to find for the football program. Myers is familiar with Mitchell, who worked with him on Rolla’s staff last fall.
Moody also said the Salem High weight room renovation project is on schedule.
“The weight room is close,” he said. “They are waiting on a couple of units of air conditioners to come in. We’re looking for the interior to be done in a couple weeks.”
