Darlington High selects Raymond Jennings as head football coach, Cellina Epps as head volleyball coach
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Darlington High School announced Wednesday, Jan. 30, that Raymond Jennings will be the school’s new head varsity football coach and Cellina Epps will be the new head varsity volleyball coach.
Jennings brings years of experience as both a teacher and a coach to the Falcons’ football program. Jennings is currently the defensive coordinator and a teacher at Lugoff-Elgin High School. Prior to his time there, he spent 10 seasons as head varsity football coach at Ridge View High School in Columbia. Jennings is a 17-year teaching veteran who is also national board certified in Career and Technology Education. In addition to his coaching duties, Jennings will teach Business Education at Darlington High School.
Jennings also spent time as an assistant football coach for several collegiate programs including Gardner-Webb University, Western Carolina University and Charleston Southern University. In 2006, the S.C. Football Coaches Association named him the 4A Lower State Coach of the Year. Jennings holds a Master of Arts in Education Administration from Western Carolina University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University, where he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
“Coach Jennings’ previous high school head coaching experience, his track record of building positive relationships with students, and his national board certification in business education make him an ideal fit for Darlington High School,” said Cortney Gehrke, principal of Darlington High School. “We look forward to Coach Jennings helping our students improve both on and off the field.”
Epps, who is a fourth-grade teacher at St. John’s Elementary School, will take over the school’s varsity volleyball program after previously serving as the team’s associate head coach. She also spent the past three years as the school’s head junior varsity volleyball coach. Epps has served the past 17 years as a coach of numerous sports through the Darlington Recreation Department.
“We are very excited for Coach Epps to become our new head volleyball coach,” Gehrke said. “She has done an excellent job as our junior varsity coach. Her love for our student-athletes and the sport is evident. We know she will do a wonderful job in her new role.”
Epps holds an associate degree in Health Science from Florence-Darlington Technical College and a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Western Governors University.