Polk athletic director Jeff Wilson announced that Wolverine golf coach Craig Culbreath will lead the boys team this winter while Mitch Davis will coach the girls. Culbreath has 22 years experience in the school system; Davis has 7 1/2, one at Polk County High School.

“We feel like he’s going to bring some discipline and a sense of enthusiasm to our program,” Wilson said of Culbreath.

Both will be needed this year. Culbreath replaces Scott Sekal, who was dismissed halfway through last season. Junior varsity coach Doug Campbell finished out the year on an interim basis.

Culbreath, a 1984 graduate of South Carolina, took a 14-year hiatus from basketball coaching to raise his sons. One of the two, Heath, is a Wolverine senior and varsity player.

“It’ll be fun,” Craig said. “The last thing before we get off to college.”

Culbreath coached junior varsity basketball under Derek Thomas. He guided Polk’s boy’s golf team to a third-place finish at this year’s 1-A state tournament.

“I’ve been around these kids,” he said. “It’s not like they don’t know me.”

“Craig really wowed us in the interview,” Wilson said.

Davis, who started teaching at Polk Middle before moving up the high school last year, coached the jayvee girls team for four years before taking last season off.

He replaces Chris Mintz, a Polk County native, who took the varsity girls job at Cherokee.

“The style won’t change because I had a lot of influence on the previous style,” Davis, a Polk graduate, said. “We will have to make some adjustments because all of our interior height is gone.”

“He has been loyal to Polk County and good to Polk County,” Wilson said.

“He’s an excellent motivator and a hard worker.

“We knew every candidate well and we felt like he was the strongest in what was a very close contest.”

Polk’s volleyball will also have a new coach. Heather Claussen takes over for Melissa Callahan.

Claussen was an NAIA All-American player at MidAmerica Nazarene University and has experience coaching at the club level.

The Lady Wolverines open their season on Tuesday at Brevard.