Our Sports

Volleyball Team

I am Coach Bella Raniszewski, and I am excited to assume the role of Head Coach for McCracken Middle School this season. My journey with McCracken started as a dedicated volunteer coach, where I contributed my time and expertise for two years. I then progressed to the role of Assistant Coach for one year, and now, I am honored to lead as the Head Coach. My passion for volleyball stems from my five years of playing experience in high school, where I specialized as both a setter and libero. Additionally, I have gained valuable experience in every position on the court.

While I am deeply invested in volleyball, I am also pursuing my education in criminology. At 20 years old, I am committed to furthering my knowledge and skills in both fields.

I eagerly anticipate the upcoming volleyball season and the opportunity to work with our dedicated team at McCracken Middle School.

Dontay Stevenson is thrilled to be the new Bulldog Football Coach. He spent his formative years in Ridgeland, South Carolina, where he dedicated a decade to teaching and coaching. Since departing from Ridgeland, Coach Stevenson has remained committed to coaching, contributing his expertise to the Bluffton Rec Center. Presently, he resides in Bluffton with his wife and two children. Coach Stevenson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Benedict College, underscoring his deep-rooted passion for both sports and education.

George N. Dixon serves as the assistant athletic director, assistant football coach and assistant wrestling coach. In the building he serves as the behavior interventionist. He brings that disciplined approach to his on the field coaching. He is a former college wrestler, high school coach and currently officates high school wrestling at the national level. Coach Dixon is a lifelong lowcountry resident.

Coach Angel Nguyne-Bolia

After graduating from Georgia State University with my bachelor's degree in Psychology, I've been committed to working with children and families, striving to foster unity among them. My goal is to extend this vision of unity to my coaching efforts, particularly in the realm of cheerleading. I aspire to bring together young women from diverse backgrounds, united by their shared passion for cheer. Through my coaching, I aim to instill values of honor, respect, and integrity in these athletes. My intention goes beyond merely honing their sports skills; I want to shape them into well-rounded individuals who excel not only in the realm of athletics but also in academics and life as a whole.

Oscar Frazier is a Bluffton native, who attended M.C. Riley Elementary, H.E. McCracken Middle school and Hilton Head High. After graduating high school, he joined the U.S. Army and served three years. When his military term ended, he began a career in law enforcement in Topeka, Kansas as a Corrections Officer. In 2001 he  started coaching youth basketball. In 2013 he returned to Bluffton, later joining the Bluffton Police Department, also started working with the Bluffton Boys & Girls Club as a youth mentor. In 2017, Mr. Frazier was awarded the Low Country Police Officer of the Year through the American Legion for outstanding community service after helping to organize such programs such as “Shop with a Cop”, “Holiday Challenge Turkey Drive”, and working with the Bluffton Explorers through the Bluffton Boys & Girls Club. Since 2018 he has been the SRO of Bluffton High School, and in 2020 he joined the coaching staff of the H.E. McCracken Bulldogs.

Jason Schowalter has been serving in the United States Marine Corps for over 16 years but his passion
has always been sports and coaching. He is excited to assume the role of Head Coach for the Girls
Basketball team this season. He hails from Flint, Michigan where he grew up playing football,
basketball, and baseball. This is also where he began his coaching career at the High School level and
made his way down to youth football. He is very honored and excited to be able to bring his energy,
excitement, and experience to the athletes of McCracken Middle School.

William C. Murray is the HEMMS athletic director and head track and field coach with many years in education, teaching CTE courses. Coach Murray’s coaching philosophy, “academics first and athletics second” stems from his days as a student-athlete. Coach Murray brings previous law enforcement experience to his student-centered approach to education, as he served as a deputy sheriff, working as a school resource officer with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. When Coach Murray is not at school, he loves to travel, fish, cycle, and spend time with family and friends.

Dr. Pearl Mitchell is an alumni of H.E. McCracken Middle School (and former Student of the Year). While a student at McCracken, she was a member of the track and field team. Dr. Mitchell  has been an assistant track and field coach for the Bulldogs for five years. Her coaching career began at the high school level for two schools in the district. Dr. Mitchell earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from S. C. State University. She earned her doctorate degree in Sports Management from Northcentral University.

Dr. John Woodring has many years of experience as a soccer player and coach. His coaching experience includes high school varsity and junior varsity coaching along with recreational and club experience. Dr. Woodring also holds a “D” coaching license from the United States Soccer Federation. Dr. Woodring has over 20 years of coaching experience.

Michael McMullin has always been a fan of sports and athletics and has a long history of coaching youth teams in the Low Country including basketball, soccer, football, and wrestling. Winning is great, but more importantly the athletes should have fun and to enjoy themselves while participating. Wrestling was his competition of choice in high school, and he also worked alongside the Beaufort County School District as a Security Officer keeping students, teachers and faculty safe throughout the school year. He’s a huge fan of the University of Kentucky Basketball Team. He serves as the Boy’s Basketball Assistant Coach and the Head Coach of the Girls Soccer Team. He enjoys the challenge of being the Head Coach of the Girls Soccer Team and being a part of the H. E. McCracken family for the years to come.

Dave Grissom began his career as a sworn officer with the Hobart, Indiana, Police Department. Hobart is a small community in northwest Indiana with a population of about 25,000. While serving as an officer, Dave was in charge of all internal investigations in addition to serving as the Hobart School District SOR Officer where he taught the D.A.R.E. program to fifth-grade students and coached high school basketball and baseball. Dave was eventually promoted to Detective Bureau Commander before retiring from the force in 2013 Since then, Dave has been responsible for the Beaufort County School District's security, investigations, and emergency management. He is the liaison between the district and area law enforcement. Dave is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and a proud veteran of the U. S. Army. He also enjoys coaching basketball and baseball at H.E. McCracken Middle School, starting in 2020. David Thompson is from Rock Hill, S.C. He has a degree in Criminal Justice and served as a Police Officer for Tega Cay Police Department in Tega Cay, S.C. He worked there for five years as a Patrolman, Marine Patrol, Dive and Rescue, Active Shooter Instructor, and SRO. He moved to Beaufort County in 2021 and now works for the Bluffton Police Department. David was involved with many sports growing up. He enjoys coaching the Bulldog Baseball team.

Daniel Kinyon has been teaching many years, with most of those being at H.E. McCracken Middle School. He hails from South Dakota and he has been active in sports going back to his middle school years as a student. Daniel grew up playing baseball, football, and basketball. Daniel also served in the U.S. Army Airborne, and he is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. Currently he enjoys golfing, bowling, and working out at Planet Fitness!

Joshua Kirk has been teaching many years, with most of those in middle school.  He has been coaching at H.E. McCracken as an assistant coach for softball. Josh grew up playing basketball, tennis, golf, baseball, and pole vaulting. He enjoys playing music and watching sports in his free time.