05/17/2026
Earlier this week, something quietly happened that I think is worth recognizing. The third pitch of the at bat was a called strike, the strike marked a third out, the end of the top of the seventh inning, and the end of a regional softball game. It also marked the end of an incredible career. A 33-year career that made a difference in the lives of thousands of students in a classroom and on athletic fields. It was a career that saw time at 9 different schools. A career that saw coaching opportunities in football, baseball, softball, and, for a year, soccer. It was a career that blended into coaching staffs that coached as many as 30 All-State Players. A career that celebrated Area and Region championships in all sports. A career that made a run deep in the playoffs in football, baseball, and softball several times. His career had a tour with the “World Gulf Coast Coaching Clinic Tour” where he was a speaker and offered the signed book he wrote, “Fast Break Football”. A young Gus Malzahn was another speaker on the tour. As successful as his coaching career proved to be, it was his relationships on the athletic field and in the classroom that made the greatest impact. It was in those relationships that he found the greatest satisfaction, and he valued them as priceless.
To be honest, it was Coach Wayne Wilkes last 3 years that I value the most. Those three years at Winston County High School. Three years that saw two Area Championships in Softball, two all-state players, and a transformation of the softball facility that has the stadium looking its best in the 55-year history of the diamond. From previous years where we had more rainouts than games played, to the last two years where rain has not stopped a scheduled game. In football, he was a part of a staff that produced a 12-win season and playoff appearances twice. One of those teams was the Regional Champions. There were 5 All-State Players and a finalist for Back of the Year. His contribution in the classroom was characteristic of all his classrooms; students knew he cared, learned to show compassion as it was modeled, and were taught that doing the right thing was always the right answer.
Coach Wayne Wilkes, Winston County High School, will miss your work ethic, your knowledge in the classroom and on the field, and your ability to connect with every student in the building and on the field. We will miss a person who put others before himself and made sure every student knew how to find a way to make things look their best. We will miss that student support in the classroom where every student knew they were important, knew they were smart, and above all, loved by a faculty and staff in a safe place when they needed one. Congratulations on your retirement; it is much deserved. Thank You for making Winston County High School a home, making it a better place, and leaving it much better than you found it. Thank You Coach, for a Job Well Done.
