Conway High names new football coach with Horry County ties

Conway made its football coaching hire official on Monday.

Lamar’s Josh Pierce was approved as the new coach at the Horry County Board meeting. Pierce replaces Carlton Terry, who was fired after six seasons.

Pierce has ties to the Grand Strand and played at North Myrtle Beach and attended Coastal Carolina.

“When I was coming up, Conway was the premiere program in Horry County,” Pierce told The Sun News on Tuesday. “What coach Chuck Jordan was able to do there was special. There is a lot of history and tradition with this program and I am fortunate now to be a part of that.”

Pierce didn’t initially apply for the job when it opened up in November. But the school opened the job up again in January. According to My Horry News, the school offered the job to West Florence coach Jody Jenerette but he turned it down.

“When it came open again, I had some people reach out to me,” Pierce said. “So, I sat down with my wife and thought it was best for our family to put it in for me and it worked out.”

Pierce hopes to get started as soon as possible at Conway and is working with Lamar to get out of his contract.

Pierce was promoted to head coach at Lamar last year after Chad Wilkes left to take the job at Oceanside Collegiate. He led the Silver Foxes to a 9-4 record and the third round of the Class A playoffs before losing to Johnsonville, 14-0.

Pierce was named region coach of the year.

“I will always cherish the time I spent at Lamar football and am grateful for the opportunity to be your head coach and lead these young men,” Pierce wrote in a post on his Facebook page.

Before last season, Pierce was Lamar’s defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach. The Silver Foxes played in back-to-back Class A championship games in 2020 and 2021. Lamar’s 2021 defense allowed just 18.9 points per game.

Pierce also was an assistant at Dillon and Marlboro County high schools before landing at Lamar.

Conway is coming off a 4-7 season last year and lost to Summerville in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs. The Tigers’ last winning season came in 2017 during Terry’s first year, when they went 10-2 and lost in the second round of the playoffs to Spring Valley.

The Tigers have some key pieces returning next season including quarterback Devin Grainger, who Pierce calls the “centerpiece” of Conway’s offense.

“He is an extremely talented kid who I want to use as much as possible,” Pierce said of Grainger. “What I have seen on tape, they are very athletic and we have to be creative in how we get the ball to our athletes.”

SC High School Football openings

School — Former School — New Coach

Aiken — Olajuwon Paige — TBA Beaufort Academy — Mark Clifford — Nic Shuford Berea — Julius Prince — Drew Chisholm Berkeley — Jerry Brown — TBA 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

Eau Claire — Shaq Hilton — Demarcus Simons 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 — TBA Hillcrest — Anthony Frate — TBA Lamar — Josh Pierce — TBA Landrum — Jason Farmer — Brent Bridges Lexington — Perry Woolbright — TBA Mauldin — Sayre Nesmith — TBA May River — Rodney Summers — TBA Mullins — John Williams — TBA

Ninety-Six — Matthew Owings — TBA North Central — Ryan McDonnell (interim) — TBA North Charleston — Devon Smalls — TBA Orangeburg Prep — Andy Palmer — Don Shelley Palmetto — Doug Shaw — TBA Pickens — Chad Smith — James Reynolds 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