Apr. 29—WAGENER — E'Mond Brown, with a background as a football player at Wagener-Salley High School, knows the neighborhood extremely well and is on track to help create some excitement in one of the community's newest attractions.

The Wagener native, a 2015 graduate of White Knoll High School, noted that hopes are for construction of the football field to be complete in July, which means the War Eagles' 2026 home games could be in a brand-new facility, with artificial turf as part of the package.

Brown, a South Carolina State University graduate with a degree in physical education, spent the past five years at Midland Valley High as an assistant coach for the Mustangs, starting with the running backs and then moving on to become offensive coordinator.

Brent Dorn, the Mustangs' head coach, described Brown as "definitely a player's coach." Referring to the War Eagles, he added, "They're going to play hard for him, and he's going to do anything he can for his kids."

Brown's background as a player included plenty of mileage, as he followed his Wagener-Salley years with a couple of years at White Knoll High in Lexington, as a standout running back both years. He made the leap to collegiate competition, first at Methodist University, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and then moved on to Orangeburg for his Bulldog years.

His other roles at Wagener-Salley include teaching weightlifting and physical education. The football team's schedule is set, but the locations have not been confirmed, due to uncertainty about the new field's availability.