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Ridge View assistant to take over Class A football powerhouse program

After coming close on a few occasions, Stephen Burris will get a shot to be a head football coach.

The Ridge View assistant will be the new football coach at Lamar High School in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. Burris replaces Josh Pierce, who left to take the job at Conway High School.

The hire was approved at Monday’s Darlington County school board meeting.

This is Burris’ first head coaching job after 16 years as an assistant. He was previously a finalist for jobs at Conway, North Myrtle Beach, Airport and Aiken.

“I’ve been blessed to be coached by and work for great men,” Burris said. “My family and I are extremely excited to join a community that values what quality football brings to the table. We look forward to adding to the great tradition that is Lamar football and Lamar High School.”

Lamar has been a Class A powerhouse for the past three decades, winning five state championships since 2002 — including three straight from 2002-04. Since 1995, Lamar has won at least eight games in a season all but two times, one of those being during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

“Lamar checks the boxes of everything any coach would be lucky to walk into. (It’s a) dream for a first time head coach,” Burris said. “They have a foundation that a lot of Class 4A and 5A schools would love to have.”

Burris has been the offensive coordinator at Ridge View the past two seasons. The Blazers averaged 387 yards of offense per game this year and 350 yards per contest in 2021.

Before Ridge View, Burris was an assistant coach at Conway and Socastee High schools in Horry County and then at York High School. He also was at Norwich Free Academy in Connecticut from 2017-20 before returning to South Carolina.

Lamar is coming off a 9-4 season, losing to state runner-up Johnsonville in the third round of the playoffs.

SC High School Football openings

School — Former School — New Coach

Aiken — Olajuwon Paige — Dwayne Garrick

Airport — Andre Cook — TBA Beaufort Academy — Mark Clifford — Nic Shuford Barnwell — Dwayne Garrick — Brian Smith Battery Creek — Terrance Ashe —TBA Berea — Julius Prince — Drew Chisholm Berkeley — Jerry Brown — Eric Lodge Clover — Brian Lane — Perry Woolbright Colleton County — Kris Howell — Adam Kinloch Columbia — Jason Bush — TBA Conway — Carlton Terry — Josh Pierce Darlington — Raymond Jennings — Jamie Johnson Dillon Christian — Christian Wolfe — Donell Stanley

Dorman — Dustin Curtis — Jake Morris Eau Claire — Shaq Hilton — Demarcus Simons Edisto — Preston Deaver — TBA First Baptist — Johnny Waters — Jamaal Birch

Georgetown — Jimmy Noonan — Bradley Adams

Great Falls — DeMarcus Simons — TBA Green Sea Floyds — Joey Price — Patrick Martin Hanahan — Art Craig — Milan Turner

Hannah-Pamplico — Jamie Johnson — Trey Woodberry Heathwood Hall — Danny Lewis — Rick Reetz Hillcrest — Anthony Frate — Bennett Swygert John Paul II — Chris Myers — TBA Lamar — Josh Pierce — Stephen Burris Landrum — Jason Farmer — Brent Bridges Lexington — Perry Woolbright — Dustin Curtis Mauldin — Sayre Nesmith — Andre Cook May River — Rodney Summers — Richard Bonneville Mullins — John Williams — TBA

Ninety-Six — Matthew Owings — Matthew Bennett North Central — Ryan McDonnell (interim) — Daniel Sisk North Charleston — Devon Smalls — TBA Northwood Academy — Armando Allen — Johnny Waters Orangeburg Prep — Andy Palmer — Don Shelley Palmetto — Doug Shaw — Ryan Norton Pickens — Chad Smith — James Reynolds Pinewood Prep — J.W. Myers — DeVonte Holloman Ridge-Spring Monetta — Brian Smith — TBA Spring Valley — Robin Bacon — Nygel Pearson Thomas Heyward — Nic Shuford — Tony McGeary

Walhalla — Padgett Johnson — Chris Stone Ware Shoals — Chris Johnston — Chris Dodson Westside — Scott Earley — Brian Lane Williamsburg Academy — Don Shelley — Tyler Boyd Woodmont — Jeff Murdock — Ty Sutherland Woodruff — Bradley Adams — Brett Sloan Wren — Jeff Tate — Anthony Frate