HobbsDailyReport.com
LINCOLNTON – Nick Bazzle, who won 129 games as a high school head football coach at Newton-Conover and Alexander Central, will be the next head coach at North Lincoln, The Lincoln Times-News is reporting.
In an online post late Tuesday night, the Times-News reported Bazzle will replace Steven Pack, who resigned after one season as the Knights’ head coach and replaces Matt Beam as head coach at Newton-Conover.
Beam was also previously the head coach at North Lincoln from 2005-2008.
Bazzle, 56, last coached in 2015, his fourth and final season at Alexander Central, and the Cougars went 5-7 that year. He came to Taylorsville in 2012, after 13 seasons as head coach at Newton-Conover.
Alexander Central went 5-7, 5-7, 4-7 and 3-8 under Bazzle, a former star athlete at East Lincoln High, and his an overall record there was 17-29. His first two Cougars teams earned state 4A playoff bids.
Bazzle, a longtime Newton-Conover assistant on former head coach Don Patrick’s staff, replaced Patrick as head coach when Patrick retired after the 1998 season. Bazzle guided the Red Devils to a record of 112-56 that included an outright conference title in 2000 and shares of league titles in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008.
Nine of Bazzle’s 13 Red Devils teams — including his last seven — advanced to the 2A or 2AA state playoffs, with his 2000 team going 12-3 and finishing second in the 2A bracket, his 2008 team going 15-1 and winning a state 2A title and his 2009 team going 14-2 and finishing second in the state 2AA bracket.
Bazzle’s head-coaching record in 17 seasons is 129-85. His debut at North Lincoln is Aug. 17 at home against Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, and the Knights will face Alexander Central on Sept. 7 at North Lincoln and Newton-Conover on Oct. 19, also at North Lincoln.
Bazzle is the sixthh head football coach at North Lincoln following Lonnie Custer, Beam, Scott Stilwell, Dan Manness and Pack.
THE BAZZLE FILE
A look at Nick Bazzle, an East Lincoln High graduate who will be head football coach at North Lincoln this season:
High school: East Lincoln, class of 1980.
College: Guilford, class of 1984.
Assistant coaching positions: NW Guilford 1984; E. Lincoln, 1985-86; Newton-Conover 1987-98.
Head coaching record: 129-85, 17 seasons; 19-10 in state playoffs.
Conference championships: Five (1 outright, 4 ties).
State championships: 2008 2A.
State playoff teams: 11.
— Compiled by HobbsDailyReport.com