Short leaving East Gaston for KM softball job

GREENSBORO � Count Craig Short among the coaches leaving East Gaston for Kings Mountain. Short has joined the Mountaineer football coaching staff and will also replace Suzanne Grayson as head softball coach. �It all just kind of fell into place,� said Short, who was initially headed for Kings Mountain solely as assistant football coach. Short leaves East Gaston after just one season as head softball coach. He follows two other East Gaston coaches who left for Kings Mountain. Greg Lloyd resigned as head football coach to take the same position at Kings Mountain, and assistant coach Kevin Cruise followed him. All three reside in Cleveland County. Short�s move happened quickly. When a social studies teaching position opened in late June, newly hired principal Ronny Funderburke interviewed Short almost immediately about an assistant football job. Short interviewed again July 2 for the softball position and was offered the job three days later. Short inherits a one of the state�s most dominant softball programs of late. Grayson guided the Mountaineers to state titles in 2005 and 2006 and four straight conference titles before retiring last month. �It�s fun to think about what we might be able to do with football, but it�s intimidating because of what Suzanne�s done with the softball team,� Short said. Short led East Gaston to its best season in school history. The Warriors finished 20-9 after a third-round playoff loss to eventual 4A state champion Butler. East Gaston won a share of the Big South 3A/4A Conference championship � their first since 1999 and third in school history � and took the Big South tournament title. �I tell you, it was tough leaving those girls at East Gaston,� Short said. Ashbrook AD targeting February retirement Ashbrook athletic director Lloyd White on Wednesday said he was �99.9 percent sure� that he would retire effective Feb. 1. White, who had already announced that this coming year � or part of it � would be his last, is still waiting to hear back from state officials on when he will have accrued enough days to earn full retirement. The school will accept applications for his position in the fall. You can reach Phillip Gardner at (704) 869-1843.