Our Sports

Volleyball Team

Our Coaches

Shelby Flowers has been the head coach of the Girl’s Volleyball team for 4 years. She has also coached Club Volleyball at the 14s Club level and 15s High Performance level. Her previous experience even includes doubles for Beach Volleyball. She is married with 3 children. In their spare time her family enjoys staying active with many different outdoor activities and traveling. 

Kallyn Hieftje-Conley is a current ELA teacher at McCracken as well as the assistant volleyball and girl’s basketball coach. She loves sports and loves coaching because she can see the students doing something they enjoy outside of school.  She grew up in Michigan playing all the sports she could get and always staying active.  She still stays active today and coaching helps her do that.  She has a great time watching students become fully-rounded adults as they learn the fundamentals of the sport and being on a team. 

Russell Raniszewski has been coaching football and basketball and teaching PE for many years, he is also the head coach of the McCracken Football team and the Head Girls Basketball coach for Hilton Head High. Coach Raniszewski played basketball both in college and professionally. Coach Raniszewski is married with two children. In his free time, he loves to golf, lift weights and hang out with family and friends.

Michael Becker has been one of the PE teachers and the head coach of the girl’s basketball team and an assistant football coach since the 2020 school year. He has been coaching, playing, and refereeing basketball his whole life and focuses on the fundamentals of the game. Born and raised in Massachusetts (the birthplace of basketball) he grew up playing football, basketball, and lacrosse. He and his family moved down south to escape the snow in 2018. 

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 Cole

Coach B is the Assistant/Football Game Day Cheer Coach. She is also the dance teacher and yearbook adviser for HEMMS. She is originally from North Carolina and relocated to the Lowcountry in 2019. Coach B loves coaching and watching the athletes grow every year. She looks forward to every game and competition with the team sharing her Bulldog Pride.

Jake Sowers is the Wrestling Team head coach at HEMMS. What a historical season the Wrestling Team had for the Winter 2021-2022 team! Coach Sowers is also an assistant coach at RWC located in Bluffton. Jake is dedicated to facilitating the growth of girls wrestling in South Carolina and the USA. His wife serves as the head wrestling coach at Bluffton Middle School. Jake comes from a family of wrestlers and has two sons who enjoy wrestling. When not on the wrestling mat, Jake spends his time at the beach listening to live music or watching the UFC.

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.

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.

Michael Becker Has been one of the PE teachers and the head coach of the girl’s basketball team and an assistant football coach since the 2020 school year. He has been coaching, playing, and refereeing basketball his whole life and focuses on the fundamentals of the game. Born and raised in Massachusetts (the birthplace of basketball) he grew up playing football, basketball, and lacrosse. He and his family moved down south to escape the snow in 2018. 

Kallyn Hieftje-Conley is a current ELA teacher at McCracken as well as the assistant volleyball and girl’s basketball coach. She loves sports and loves coaching because she can see the students doing something they enjoy outside of school.  She grew up in Michigan playing all the sports she could get and always staying active.  She still stays active today and coaching helps her do that.  She has a great time watching students become fully-rounded adults as they learn the fundamentals of the sport and being on a team. 

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.