Marshall Cabbagestalk moves over to the boys squad after guiding the girls team for one season and girls assistant coach Camille Toliver takes over the girls program on an interim basis.
Cabbagestalk replaces Ryan Lawhon, who led the Knights boys for one season. Cabbagestalk’s lone run with the girls team produced a 4-23 campaign, but the Lady Knights improved as the season rolled along and advanced to the Class 5A playoffs.
Stratford was hit hard by graduation after playing for the state title a season earlier in coach Kelly McNeil’s final season.
“If you look at where the girls team was (when Cabbagestalk took over), they lost six of their top seven scorers and lost eight kids overall off a team with 12 players,” said Stratford athletics director Mathis Burnette. “He was basically starting from scratch. He returned one girl who had significant experience. Early on, they took some beatings, but by the end of the year they were competing. I can’t say enough good things about what Marshall can do. You can see it. He can build on the discipline and culture things Lawhon had started.”
April is open season for winter sports teams to practice. They can resume offseason work together in June.
Before taking over at Stratford, Cabbagestalk spent six seasons at Crestwood High School, where he experienced success as a coach and player. As a junior, Crestwood played in the Class 3A Lower State title game before losing to Myrtle Beach in 2007-08. Cabbagestalk was an all-region player in 2008-09 as a senior and made the jump up to Coker College. As a coach, Cabbagestalk guided the Crestwood boys junior varsity team to an unbeaten record in 2021-22.
Toliver has also guided the girls track and field team in her time at Stratford.
