York hires two new coaches, one of whom won a state title as a South Pointe wrestler
York Comprehensive High School has hired two new coaches for the upcoming school year.
Betsi O’Shields, who will continue building on a decades-long coaching career, will be the school’s new volleyball coach. While Ricky Blackman, who’s just getting started in the profession, will be the wrestling coach.
Here’s what you need to know.
York wrestling coach: Ricky Blackman
Blackman, 23, will be among the youngest head coaches in any sport in The Herald’s coverage area.
Blackman wrestled at South Pointe High School in Rock Hill before going on to wrestle and even play a spring season of soccer at Coker University, Blackman said in an interview with The Herald Tuesday.
He won an individual state title as a wrestler at South Pointe in 2015, under the current head coach for the Stallions, Eddie Cook.
“The funny thing is, I wrestled under or around all the coaches, essentially, in the region when I grew up,” Blackman said. “It’s really nice to be able to compete against them again and be back in the region after being gone for about five or six years.”
Blackman is also excited to be back in “familiar territory.”
“I was really excited to go back to an area where I’m from,” Blackman said. “And that was a big thing for me when I was looking for a job. That community aspect. And York really provides that.”
In addition to coaching York wrestling, he’ll also be helping coach the ninth grade football team, Blackman said. He said he’s really excited about the opportunity to learn under an accomplished head coach in York football’s Dean Boyd.
“He’s a great head coach, who’s excited about me helping me grow as a coach,” Blackman said. “And it’s something new. I am excited at the chance to learn to coach a new sport.”
Blackman spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Myers Park High School in Charlotte. Before that, after an injury cut his college wrestling career short, he spent a season coaching wrestling at Hartsville High School in Hartsville, S.C.
Last season, York finished second in the region to Blackman’s alma mater, South Pointe. Afterward, the Cougars made it to the second round of the state playoffs before losing to Belton-Honea Path High, 52-30.
“We are excited to have him on board and expect great things from our wrestling program under his leadership,” York athletic director Joey Moore said in a statement.
York volleyball coach: Betsi O’Shields
When O’Shields began her volleyball coaching tenure at Lancaster High School, the program hadn’t won a match in 10 years. Even in her first season, she told The Herald in a phone interview Wednesday morning, her team didn’t win a match.
“We were able to transform that,” O’Shields said. “To come during that, and then to be at Lancaster in my fifth and sixth years after winning back-to-back region championships... I remember the excitement when we won our first match. It was like we won a state championship.”
Soon, O’Shields built Lancaster into a successful program. In her 11 years at the helm, she was named the Region 4-3A coach of the year in 2014 and 2015, and before that, she was named the Region 1-4A coach of the year in 2008, per a press release sent by Moore.
She also coached the 2014 North/South All-Star game in 2014.
“I’m really excited about getting this opportunity, getting this new community and seeing what we can do,” O’Shields said.
Per MaxPreps, York volleyball finished 4-11 overall and 3-5 in its region last season.
“We are excited to have her on campus,” Moore said in a statement, “and we are looking forward to the direction she will lead our volleyball program.”
Both coaches will teach social studies.
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 5:49 PM.
.jpeg)