Leon Boulware plans on bringing winning tradition back to Rock Hill football
It still hasn’t hit Leon Boulware, but in certain moments he can feel it.
He had chills walking the halls of Rock Hill High School for his interview. The former Bearcat felt them again when he earned a second interview. And most recently, all those feelings came crashing back in on the new head coach while heading to District Three Stadium for Rock Hill’s first scrimmage on Friday.
Excitement. Fear. Nerves. Love for it all.
“I was sitting on the bus, and I’m like, ‘Man, we’re on a bus on the way to the stadium, and I’m not a player anymore,’’’ Boulware said. “I’m actually leading this team on the field for the first time and in this role.”
Boulware felt so much in that moment he had to tell himself to keep his composure. And somehow he kept it because the Bearcats steamrolled Spring Valley, 34-0.
It’s the first small taste of what Boulware is trying to do in his first season: return Rock Hill to what it once was. Sure, the Bearcats have four state championships, but they haven’t won since 2004.
He knows there are two teams less than 10 miles away in Northwestern and South Pointe that experienced the peak of football success last season. South Pointe made it to the semifinals. Northwestern took home the championship. But Rock Hill suffered a first-round exit.
Since 2020, the Bearcats have had one winning season. What Boulware felt during his time at Rock Hill — the chills, the anticipation, the pressure — has been absent for some time.
“Our kids didn’t understand as much as I thought they would the tradition that’s here at Rock Hill High,” Boulware said. “I think they understand Football City USA, but they don’t really understand a lot of the traditions started here at Rock Hill. I remind them every day you can’t say Football City USA without saying Rock Hill.”
The school means everything to Boulware. He met his wife there. Both his family and hers live in the area. He didn’t like seeing such a shift from what he knew.
So, since arriving a week before spring ball, Boulware has focused on the team’s culture. He’s working to develop a young squad with a veteran defense.
“It’s bringing back the championship mindset,” Boulware said. “And our kids have responded well and did a great job. We pushed them harder than they probably been pushed in a while this summer.”
It’s been non-stop weight room, meetings and watching film. All of Boulware’s players had to learn a new offense, defense and special team scheme.
Along with the physical work, Boulware added a player development coach to help with mindset training.
“We’ve been trying to clear the outside noise out of their heads and understand that we take care of what we have in house, and we get the belief system back,” Boulware said. “My kids got to believe in themselves.”
And he thinks it’s starting to show.
During the team’s two scrimmages, Boulware said his players showed a different product on the field. The Bearcats were disciplined. They were more aggressive. It was in your face football.
It’s the type of football that makes Rock Hill High excited. It’s what has players all the way to staff thinking it’s a team that will sneak up on people.
But right now, Boulware is just focused on the day-to-day. He plans to go to the field early on Friday ahead of the Bearcats’ first game against River Bluff at District Three Stadium. He wants to get a feel of the field and have a moment to himself.
“(It’s) really to say, ‘Man, OK, we here,’” Boulware said. “’Settle down. Let’s get to work.’ I’d rather deal with any type of excitement, anxiety, nerves, whatever the case may be by myself.”
He’ll probably experience those same chills again like he did on the bus. They’re the feelings reminiscent of a Rock Hill program that may not be that far away.
