Summers takes over soccer program at Eastern Wayne

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on July 29, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Scott Summers is coming home.

And the "black cleat rule" is gone.

After spending the last three-plus seasons at perennial 3-A powerhouse Wilson Hunt and logging 100-plus career wins, Summers is returning to where he learned the game -- Eastern Wayne.

He replaces his mentor and former head coach Jorg Wagner, who stepped down last week. Wagner, pending approval from the Wayne County Board of Education, will continue his teaching career at Northeast and Eastern Wayne elementary schools.

"I kept thinking about the opportunity, this is somewhere I'd like to be," said Summers, who is expected to work as a teacher's assistant during his first season with the Warriors.

"I spent a lot of my time there, learned a lot from Coach Wagner and to come back to your home town is a great chance to give back to the community that I grew up in. It's very exciting, there are big shoes to fill ... but it's an honor."

Summers almost didn't see any playing time on the Eastern Wayne pitch. Until one day when his dad, Scott Sr., spoke with Wagner while they were riding with the Seyboro Cyclists. He asked Wagner to put his son into a game just to see what he could do.

Wagner agreed.

"I remember the first time I put him and the kid scores a goal with 31/2 minutes to go in overtime," Wagner laughed. "A thin kid with a funky haircut stands in the right place at the right time, drives one in, we move on.

"From then on, Scotty never looked back."

Summers flourished during his high school career and earned a scholarship to Barton College. Upon graduation, he spent three years as an assistant boys' and girls' coach at Charles B. Aycock.

Then Hunt needed a new coach.

Aware of the program's tradition and its strong travel club base, Summers had little trouble transitioning into his first head coaching job. The Warrior boys won two conference championships and his 2013 squad advanced to the eastern regional finals.

He compiled an overall record of 110-37-8, including a 58-13-2 worksheet against conference opposition.

"(Scott) wanting to come to Eastern Wayne is a testament to the kids that are here, to the staff we have in place," Wagner said. "I was not surprised that he wanted to come home, but I was very, very pleased.

"I thought that he was the absolutely the right fit for us, no doubt about it."

Still, Summers had his doubts.

He graduated from Barton with a degree in computer information systems since there was a high job demand in that field with technology changing on a daily basis. But a job interview rekindled Summers' memories of knocking around a soccer ball.

The interviewer saw the passion in his eyes.

"I could never say that when I got out of high school or college that I told myself I was going to be a soccer coach," Summers said. "But it's a passion that I love."

Wagner knew it, too.

During his final three-day soccer academy held more than a month ago, Wagner casually suggested that Summers might want to consider applying for the head coaching position. Their talk consisted of different aspects of the program and Summers wanted to spend one more season with his Hunt boys' team because he thought this fall could be a special season with a strong returning core of experienced juniors and seniors.

Then again, the rationale of coming home to coach on the pitch where he dedicated himself to learn the game made sense to Summers, too. The difficult decision tugged at his heart strings.

And what about those black shoes?

Summers owns numerous pairs of colorful cleats, which he feels not only reflects the players' personalities, but enhances their imagination and creativity.

"We'll definitely try to keep some traditions, but I'm going to bring a little bit of my style from what I did at Hunt," said Summers, who jokingly added he didn't own a pair of black cleats.

"I'm just excited to be able to have the opportunity to coach at Eastern Wayne, be a part of that program and see if I can help them continue to grow."

And leave his own legacy at his alma mater.