BRYSON CITY, WNC – After their banner football season the Maroon Devils are reaping the individual rewards.
Swain head coach Sam Pattillo has been named the 2011 All WNC Coach of the Year by the Asheville Citizen-Times. Along with Pattillo, juniors Corbin Panther and Matthew Maennle were named to the first team All WNC football team, and Josue Otero, Jared Turbyfill, and Lee Pattillo were named to the second team All WNC team.
Pattillo guided the Maroon Devils to their record-setting season. In his first three years at the helm of the Maroon Devil football program, Pattillo now has 31 wins, one more than legendary Hall-of-Famer Boyce Deitz.
In each of their final three games the Devils came from behind, including erasing a 28-0 lead by West Montgomery in the Western Regional finals. Swain downed State 1A Champion Murphy 28-0 to secure the Smoky Mountain Conference Championship. Pattillo was also the Smoky Mountain Conference Coach of the Year, as the Devils went unbeaten in conference play.