Setzer returns home

During his playing days, most people in Caldwell County knew him simply as “Mikey.”

If a player at West Caldwell calls him that now, however, that young fellow may end up running a bit.

These days, Mike Setzer prefers to be known as “Mike” or “Coach” and now, more specifically, “West Caldwell Coach.”

The former Warrior standout was officially announced as the school's seventh football coach Friday. The 1994 West Caldwell graduate was in town for the announcement and met with members of the West Caldwell faculty and football team mid-morning.

“It really feels good to be here,” Setzer said. “I always had that desire to come back to coach here.”

His hiring ends a five-month process that included more than 40 applicants after Mark Buffamoyer, an assistant when Setzer played, resigned as coach following his fourth season.

It's Setzer's second high school head coaching job.

“The further we got into the process, the more Coach Setzer's name surfaced,” West Caldwell principal David Colwell said. “He's a role model who has continued to give back to the community even after he left.”

Setzer has spent the past six years teaching and coaching at Saint Pauls, a public high school in Robeson County. The final four were spent as head coach of the Bulldogs and his 2007-08 team won nine games and a 1-A/2-A Southeastern conference title en route to the third round of the state 2-AA playoffs.

His teams were 24-23 games in four years and made three playoff appearances.

But when the West Caldwell job opened, Setzer, who grew up in the West End community of Lenoir, couldn't pass it up.

“This is where it all happened for me,” Setzer said. “This program taught me I could be successful.”

Setzer was West Caldwell's starting quarterback for two years in the early 1990s for coach Buz Sims and split some time on varsity as a sophomore while recovering from a broken arm.

He originally signed with Winston-Salem State out of high school, but eventually transferred to East Carolina, where he played tight end from 1996-98. He graduated in 2000 and played three seasons of arena football for the Charleston Swamp Foxes.

Setzer was also an integral part of the 1994 Warrior basketball team that reached the 2-A state final. He played for current Warrior basketball coach Danny Anderson, who now is also the school's athletic director. After Setzer's short meeting time with the players Friday, Anderson was glowing.

“He's going to be an unbelievable asset,” Anderson said. “The kids have seen him and heard him talk about how much he cares about West Caldwell. He is a Warrior, was a Warrior.”

Setzer takes over a program that has struggled in recent seasons.

West Caldwell has won 14 games in five years, including just two this past fall. The school's last winning season came in 2002 (10-3) and the Warriors have had only six since Setzer graduated.

Eventually, Setzer's teams will likely lean more toward a run-based offense, but Setzer said he will explore whatever systems fit his new personnel. Increasing the number of committed players in the program will be a goal.

The Warriors began last season with 31 players, which is a low figure to begin with. But that number dwindled to 23 by season's end and 13 Warriors graduated. Only four of those were involved in the program for four seasons. And only one non-senior scored a touchdown for West Caldwell last year.

So rebuilding the program figures to take time and patience.

And a lot of work.

“We're going to learn teamwork, discipline and basics,” Setzer said. “I believe the basic fundamentals in football take care of everything else.”

Setzer had a few former West Caldwell teammates join him Friday as he spoke to the players in the school's theater. He said he wanted the current Warriors to understand what and who their blue and gold jerseys represent.

Setzer remembers growing up and dreaming of playing football for West Caldwell.

“Going to play at West Caldwell was like going to play pro football,” he said.

Setzer, who has hosted summer football camps in Lenoir for several years, will finish the year at at St. Pauls, but will be in town on occasion to attend to his West Caldwell duties, which include, among other things, filling out his staff of assistants.

One coach is already at West Caldwell. Michael Frederick, a former player at Catawba College, will be the new offensive line coach.

He met Setzer while coaching in the same conference the last few years.

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