Photo by Sarah Miller.
Chelsea High students and cheerleaders take the field during an Aug. 27 game between Chelsea and Helena at the Mark R. Hall Athletic Complex in Helena.
Chelsea High School Athletic Director Michael Stallings spoke at the Sept. 8 Chelsea Business Alliance meeting, where he shared information about the school’s athletic programs department and gave insight into the sports programs.
“We have a very successful athletic department comprised of a lot of different sport programs,” Stallings said. “Since I’ve been there, I’ve been able to see the growth and development of those programs.”
Although Stallings wasn’t born and raised in Chelsea, he said he feels like that’s where his roots are since he’s lived in the city for 17 years. He was hired at the middle school, where he worked until 2006 before heading to Spain Park High School.
“From there, the door opened up for me to come and be baseball coach at Chelsea,” he said.
When Stallings took over as athletic director in 2009, Chelsea had about 900 students at the high school. There are now around 1,400. He has seen tremendous growth since his time working at the middle school when the program was 4A, then transitioned to 5A and now 6A.
“If things continue on the path they are on, we will now probably be 7A when they reclassify. Those are in many ways positive signs of growth and development in our community.”
Stallings said from an athletic standpoint, it poses a challenge dealing with the sheer numbers and ultimately having the space to fulfill the needs of the over 500 student athletes. He said that the fact they are able to “offer avenues for kids in that involvement speaks volumes about the community.”
He thanked Chelsea businesses for their support of the athletic department and said it wouldn’t be able to do what it does without them.
Chelsea athletes are also taking their talents to the next level. In 2020, more than 11 student athletes signed to play collegiate athletics (four baseball players, two soccer players, two football players and more).
“A wide range of different athletic programs are sending kids to play at the next level, which bolsters and speaks volumes about the success our programs are experiencing in all sports,” Stallings said.
In his ninth year as athletic director, Stallings said he feels confident with the hires made this year and fortunate to find high quality men and women who will be leading the student athletes and be a good example for them.
“When all of those things come together, plus they’ve got a wealth of knowledge they can offer in whatever sport they may be helping with makes it even that much more valuable,” Stallings said.
He gave a recap of athletic programs for 2020, which he described as a great year in athletics.
► The girls basketball team was area champions and advanced to the final four.
► The baseball team won the area championship and advanced to the semifinals.
► The softball team won the area championship.
► The girls soccer team advanced to the elite eight.
Stallings said the cross-country and track program has experienced more growth than any other program during his tenure. He mentioned two top athletes, Miles Brush, who won the 5K cross-country state championship last year, and Katie McFell, won two individual championships last year.
“When I first came to Chelsea, the cross-country program probably had about 20 kids involved in it,” Stallings said. “The way the program has developed over the last five to seven years, it has grown tremendously in numbers and demanded a much more knowledgeable coach, and we’ve been very fortunate to hire a couple: Ericka Singletary and Trey Lee.”
Following Stallings, head football coach Dustin Goodwin spoke to the audience. Now entering his fourth year in his position, Goodwin grew up as a coach’s kid and said he knew at an early age this is what he wanted to do.
“I was able to see the impact a coach could make on a kid, and I wanted to be a part of that,” he said.
He has built his coaching staff to include his father, Doug Goodwin (a Hall of Fame football coach in the state of Alabama); Heath Butler, who came over from the middle school to coaching defensive lines; Butch Husband as defensive coordinator; along with Steward Carlisle, Cole Corkren and Chris Munoz.
“To have five guys on staff who have head coaching experience when running a program is a great asset to have,” Goodwin said. “They are guys you can lean on and count on to get things done when they need to.”
Goodwin said the players continue to progress and grow in their roles.
“Morale is up, and hopefully we’ll keep building as the year goes along and keep performing at a high level.”
