Kerry Lewis resigned Friday as the Wilmington High School varsity girls soccer coach.
Lewis coached the Lady Hurricane varsity for five seasons, compiling a 50-26-14 record. He coached at WHS 10 years total, serving as the reserve head coach and varsity assistant the first five seasons.
“It’s been 10 years,” Lewis said. “I’m certainly going to miss it. I love these kids. I’ve had a change in occupation and I’m just not going to have the time and the freedom to do it like I have in the past.”
Prior to Lewis’ arrival, Wilmington had just one winning season from 1986 to 2009, that came in 2002 when Jeff Wiederhold coached WHS to a 10-6-2 record.
In Lewis’ five seasons as varsity head coach, he led WHS to five winning seasons in the Southwest Ohio Conference, the South Central Ohio League and Southern Buckeye Athletic & Academic Conference. Lewis also coached SAY soccer for seven seasons.
Lewis got into soccer coaching at the high school level because of tennis. Steve Reed was the soccer coach when Lewis jumped on board.
“I got to know Steve Reed through tennis, actually,”Lewis said. “I was helping Steve start his WATA (Wilmington Area Tennis Association) program and he needed volunteers. He knew my family’s history with tennis. That’s when he asked me if I’d be interested in helping him.”
Lewis said he was hesitant to take the varsity position after being an assistant for five years when Reed resigned.
“My hesitation was that we (Reed and Lewis) had accomplished so much,” he said. “The commitment level, the time was so much more as the head coach than as an assistant.”
Lewis said his support over the years allowed him to be part of taking the WHS program to heights it had not seen previously.
“I appreciate all the support from the administration, the parents, the players,” Lewis said. “To Steve Reed, Kenny Ferrence I appreciate their support. It takes a team to get it done.
“I also want to thank my wife, Robyn, for her unending support through the years. She did more behind the scenes than anyone could imagine.”
