Photo by Erin Nelson.
Scott Lowery, the new defensive coordinator for Chelsea High School, at the football field during a summer practice. Lowery also takes over as the new head softball coach for the Hornets.
Todd Cassity and Scott Lowery said for years that they would one day coach together again.
It took nearly a decade for that to happen after their days coaching together on Jim Elgin’s staff at Pleasant Grove High School, but it is finally a reality for the pair once again at Chelsea, where Cassity has hired Lowery to run the Hornets’ defense.
Lowery comes from Helena, where he spent five years running the weight room, coaching the secondary and leading the softball program. He will also coach the Chelsea softball program after building a successful one at Helena.
The defensive coordinator position came open following the retirement of Ted Darby. Cassity and Lowery said the Chelsea defense will transition from a 3-4 to more of a 3-3-3 stack defense, utilizing the unit’s strength in the secondary.
“We’re running a different type of defense. They’re learning on the fly and we’re getting them to understand what I’m saying,” Lowery said.
The opportunity for Lowery at Chelsea is easy to see on the football side, as he was coaching the secondary at Helena. Being in charge of the defense and working alongside Cassity again were big positives to the move. But, he admits, any career move is not easy.
“Any time you do something new, you’re apprehensive. It was hard, but God kept leading me this way,” Lowery said.
Lowery will have a few proven starters on Chelsea’s defense, one with plenty of room to improve. The Hornets allowed 34 points per game last fall, not totally unexpected after moving up to Class 7A for the first time.
That 3-3-3 stack will give safeties like Drew Cheslock, Owen Key and Sam Parrish plenty of room to roam and wreak havoc on all levels of the defense.
“All I want them to do is put them in the best position to be successful,” Lowery said. “No matter the circumstances, do your best and know your assignment.”
After opening the season at Helena, Lowery’s former employer, the Hornets will host Calera, travel to Tuscaloosa County, host Oak Mountain and then travel to Thompson and Pelham in September.
Lowery will also look to restore Chelsea’s softball program to the highest level, a place it has been as recently as 2016, when the Hornets won the Class 6A state championship.
“It’s a great place, a great community. There’s a lot of support,” Lowery said. “Get them back to that mindset of winning, no matter who you’re playing, and remember who you represent.”
Lowery coached baseball for 16 years before making the move over to softball and said he will “never go back.”
“As far as the quickness and beauty of the game, it’s softball because it’s so quick,” he said, comparing the two sports. “Everything goes into the excitement of the game and that’s why it’s so popular.”
Lowery’s Helena teams were no stranger to the state tournament, and he hopes to be a guiding force to making Chelsea a consistent presence there yet again.
“Hopefully I can give the direction the right way and get them to believe in themselves like I know they can,” he said.
