Strain leaving White Plains
- Updated: February 6, 2015
Sources: Veteran coach headed to Handley
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
After one year at White Plains, Larry Strain is headed back to Randolph County.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Strain will be named the new head football coach at Handley High School in Roanoke possibly as soon as today.
“He is leaving,” a source told EASportsToday.com. “He just told the players a few minutes ago.”
Strain was the longtime head coach at Woodland High School and took the job at White Plains this past season in part to be closer to his basketball playing daughters who were playing at Jacksonville State together for the first time.
His White Plains team was 2-8 this past season, with wins over Pleasant Valley and Crossville. After a slow start offensively, his young team scored 40 points or more three times in the last six games and at least 30 four times.
He was 100-78 in 15 years at Woodland with two trips to the state championship game. He also coached his daughters in basketball.
The return to Handley is a return to his roots. He was an assistant there as one of his first coaching jobs.
Apparently, Handley officials approached Strain although it has been said when asked by White Plains officials during the interview process if there was any job he’d leave for he replied the only one would be Handley.
White Plains is expected to name an interim coach from within the staff to get the players through offseason conditioning and spring.
The job is the second opening within the county since the turn of the new year. Pleasant Valley coach Jeff Davis announced his resignation last month.
At Handley Strain will succeed Mike Battles, who was forced out and recently was hired at B.B. Comer.
Multiple attempts to reach Strain for comment were unsuccessful and messages left for White Plains principal Andy Ward or administrators seeking comment were not returned Friday.
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