It is a full-circle opportunity that has Timberland High football coach Greg Wright excited about the end of 2024.
Wright has been named to the South All-Star coaching staff for the 77th annual Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl in December.
The bowl, happening Dec. 7 at Myrtle Beach’s Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium, is an annual showcase for high school football. During the last 20 years the game has grown to be one of the premier high school all-star games in the entire country.
Standout football players are selected to participate in the game – but so are standout coaches.
Wright said he feels honored and blessed to be a part of the bowl as a coach, especially after participating as a high school student; he graduated from Cross High is 2002, and was selected as an outside linebacker for the South squad in 2001.
“To see it come back in full circle and be a coach in it is just a blessing…and something I’ll definitely cherish for the rest of my life, for sure,” he said.
Wright went on to play college ball at the University of South Carolina, where he lettered four times and further pursued a Master’s in Education and got to work with former head coach Steve Spurrier. He is now going into his fifth year coaching at Timberland, where he teaches physical education.
Wright learned that he was selected to be a coach for this year’s bowl earlier this month. Being selected comes just as much of a surprise to the coaches as it does to the players; coaches are selected based off factors including years’ experience and overall coaching experienced.
The best of the best play in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl; Wright will spend the months leading up to this year’s event joining other coaches in selecting football players from all across the state to participate.
Wright said he will tell any of the players: this is an experience they will never forget, and their fellow teammates will become lifelong friends.
“It’s a good trip – it’s a good experience,” he said, adding, “It is a bond that will never be broken.”
Wright said he is excited for the opportunity to make an impact on these players and their careers.
“I can’t wait to hit the ground running…and I’m looking forward to the process,” he said.