PREP FOOTBALL: Battles tabs Witten as coach

BY SPENCER CAMPBELL
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

BRISTOL, Va. – John Battle High School has a new head football coach for the second time in as many seasons.

Battle athletic director Larry Cannon confirmed on Tuesday that Volunteer High School assistant coach Ryan Witten, the older brother of Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, has accepted the post.

The position opened after Chris Brookshire resigned after one 0-10 campaign.

John Battle officials would not further comment on the hire, but Cannon said Witten will be introduced at a press conference at the school on Thursday at 2 p.m.

Volunteer High coach Scott Rider, who is Witten’s uncle, said he believes his nephew can turn around John Battle’s program.

“He knows how to treat kids well, and he knows how to motivate kids. He’s just full of energy,” Rider said of the 31-year-old Witten. “That’s what a program that’s been down a little bit needs. They need a boost of energy, and I think Ryan can be that boost of energy for them.”

Witten played free safety and wide receiver for his grandfather, Dave Rider, at Elizabethton High School in the early 1990s, before playing one season at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

After transferring to Milligan College in Johnson City, Tenn., he began to serve as an assistant coach at Elizabethton High, a position he held for eight years.

During his last four years at Elizabethton, Witten served as the freshman coach, leading the Cyclones to an undefeated record in his final two seasons.

Witten joined Rider’s staff in 2007.

Witten will be the third member of his family to actively hold a head coaching job in the Tri-Cities area, joining Rider and his brother, Shawn, the head football coach at Elizabethton.

“It’s just in our blood,” Rider said. “We’ve all grown up around football, playing it, and it’s been a part of our lives since we were real little. Once it gets into your blood, it’s hard to get out.”

Witten inherits a Trojan program that is a combined 9-71 since 2001, a challenge that Rider said Witten is excited to tackle.

“He was really excited about it,” Rider said. “He knows that it’s a challenge, and he knows that he’s got a lot of work to do and it’s going to be an uphill climb for him, but he’s excited.”

|(276) 645-2543