By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
Buck Quarles has experienced a lot of things during his 31 years in football, but he will experience something different next fall when he becomes the head coach at W.S. Neal Middle School.
Quarles has alternated between being a head coach and an assistant coach during his four previous football jobs.
Quarles started out as the head coach at Montgomery Catholic, a position he held three seasons. He then moved to Wetumpka High School where he served as an assistant coach for 18 seasons. Quarles returned to the head coach role for the next three seasons at Holtville. He has spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach for W.S. Neal High School where he has worked under head coaches Jim Fountain, Shane Smothers and most recently Blaine Hathcock.
Quarles said the adjustments he will have to make going to the middle school level are minimal.
Quarles, who also serves as track coach at W.S. Neal High School, said he will continue to have a close working relationship with Hathcock's high school program.
Quarles will also try to install the common high school philosophy of using as many one-way players as possible.
Quarles' tentative staff at W.S. Neal Middle School includes Chuck Phillips and Robert Jones.
Quarles inherits a W.S. Neal Middle School program that went 3-4-1 under preceding coach Ray Patterson last fall.