Written by Bob Sutton
special alamance news
Mikel Searcy sees great potential for the Red Devils beyond recent struggles with Graham's football program.
He was hired as the school's next football coach.
“It seems like a place with a lot of opportunity for growth,” Searcy said. “The community wants some success.”
This will be Searcy's first head football coaching position after serving as an assistant at Rockingham County, Eden Morehead and Greensboro Page.
Searcy fills the vacancy left by former NFL player Bobby Houston Jr., who went 5-15 in two seasons with the Red Devils. Graham went 1-9 in 2023, marking the school's 19th consecutive losing streak.
For the past two seasons, Searcy, 36, was on Greensboro Page's staff coaching inside linebackers and special teams.
Searcy, a 2005 graduate of Rockingham County, spent his final three high school seasons under coach Lynn Stadler, who served as assistant football coach and head baseball coach at Western Alamance. Searcy went on to play as a defensive back and outside linebacker for Greensboro College. After he graduated from college, he worked on the Stadler staff in Rockingham County and Eden-Morehead.
Searcy said he is assembling a coaching staff that will likely include some newcomers to Graham, but he also plans to reach out to past staff.
He also recognizes the kind of success the Red Devils once enjoyed. They advanced to back-to-back Class 1-A state championships in his 1999 and his 2000, winning the latter.
“We're excited to build these relationships,” Searcy said. “I'd like to talk to players from past teams and see what direction we should go in to get back to that winning level.”
Searcy previously served as the head coach for boys and girls track and field at Eden-Morehead.
The timing of the transition to Mr. Graham is still under consideration. For now, it appears he will remain at Greensboro Page, where he is a career and technical education teacher, until the end of the school year. He said he expects a similar off-field role for Graham.
“This area (Alamance County) is really friendly,” he said. “They welcome me into the community.”
