Our Sports

Volleyball Team

Heather Ward

With 29 years of coaching experience at the high school, club, and camp levels, Coach Heather Ward brings a wealth of knowledge, passion, and leadership to H.E. McCracken Middle School. Her decades of dedication to youth athletics have shaped countless athletes both on and off the field, and she is thrilled to continue that legacy with the Bulldogs.

Coach Ward is committed to building a strong foundation for the team—focusing not only on skill development and competitive excellence, but also on teamwork, discipline, and character. Her coaching philosophy centers around creating a positive and inclusive environment where every athlete can grow, thrive, and discover their potential.

We are excited to officially welcome Coach William Ford as the new Head Football Coach at H.E. McCracken Middle School. Coach Ford brings a wealth of experience, leadership, and a deep commitment to student development, both on and off the field. We are confident he will be a positive and inspiring presence in our athletic program and school community.

Coach Ford’s Bio
William Ford, a native of Albany, Georgia, and graduate of Dougherty High School, was a multi-sport athlete before serving over 20 years in the United States Marine Corps. After retiring from military service, he dedicated his energy to coaching youth football, leading teams to multiple championships. His passion extends beyond the field—he is committed to mentoring young people, instilling values of discipline, teamwork, and resilience, and showing how lessons from the game apply to life. His mission is to help students grow not only as athletes, but as strong, confident individuals prepared for any challenge.

Coach Trisha Nutter has been coaching multiple sports for over 10 years. She serves currently as the Head Cheer and Softball Coach. She recently moved from San Diego, California where she coached middle school travel ball and the varsity high school softball team. She was the Head Junior Varsity Coach at Battery Creek HS before moving to McCracken Middle. She also teaches 6^th grade math at McCracken and serves as the Athletic Director Admin Assistant. Coach Nutter believes in developing the whole student-athlete. Centered on discipline, teamwork, and continuous growth, her coaching philosophy emphasizes effort over outcome, accountability, and creating a positive, competitive environment.

Hi! My name is Amy Rodea.  I’m excited to be back for a second year of assisting Coach Nutter with cheer.  I have been a teacher for over 20 years, with the last four being here at McCracken Middle School. I was born and raised in Virginia and moved to SC to be closer to my family who began trickling down here over the years.  My husband and I have four amazing children. Bella and Chloe who attend May River High School, Deklen who is an 8^th grader here at McCracken, and Isaac who is just out of the Navy living his best life in Utah.  When I’m not at school, I love being able to do so many things with my family now that many of us live here.  We love a day at the beach or pool and family dinner and game nights on the weekends.  I have two dogs, a bearded dragon, two birds, and a bunny as well. I’m looking forward to being a part of McCracken Cheer/Pep squad this year. I know we are going to have an amazing year.  GO BULLDOGS!

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.