Woodie's run a good one

Raymond Woodie is off to coach the defensive line at Western Kentucky, putting a close to a four-year tenure as Palmetto's football coach that can't be classified as anything but successful.
Woodie posted a winning record (26-17) and averaged over six wins a year, all the while keeping Palmetto in the playoff hunt each fall.
The Tigers went 4-6 in 2006, Woodie's first year, nearly making the playoffs before losing in a three-way tiebreaker. In '07, they got off to a 7-0 start - a run triggered by Palmetto's first win over Southeast in 15 years during Week 1 - en route to a 9-3 record and the Class 3A-Region 3 semifinals.
Though the '08 Tigers were upset by upstart Braden River during the first round of the regional playoffs, Palmetto went 8-3 and won a district title for the first time in nine years.
And this past fall, the Tigers shook off an 0-3 start and nearly made the playoffs before a wrenching loss to Lakewood Ranch in Week 9. Palmetto finished 5-5 despite losing 15 starters from the year before, giving Woodie three winning seasons out of four at his alma mater.
Meanwhile, Tigers such as Joe Hills (South Carolina), Damian Copeland (Louisville) and Kedric Johnson (Florida) signed Division I scholarships. Kerchal Byrd Jr. has committed to Tulane, and Brandon Tarpley, considered one of the best kickers in the country, is being courted by a number of Division I suitors and will be probably be headed somewhere come National Signing Day.
Palmetto is in better shape now than it was before Woodie joined the program, a delight to not only the school, but whomever is appointed to serve as Woodie's successor.