Faith, Family & Football: Dockery Takes Helm as Hayesville AD

(Photo provided by Hayesville High School) Father, pastor, coach and now athletic director, Kenneth Dockery poses for an Easter photo with his family. Front row, left to right: Leah and Lydia. Second row: Luke, wife Hope, Kenneth and Laban.

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Kenneth Dockery, a longtime Hayesville High School educator and coach, has been named the new athletic director for the Yellow Jackets.

Dockery, who has been part of the Hayesville school system since 2008 except for a brief two-year hiatus, succeeds longtime athletic director Coach Michael Cottrell, who retired from HHS and took a coaching position at Union County High School. Dockery previously served as head football coach and currently is the defensive coordinator for the Yellow Jackets varsity football team.

In an interview, Dockery said he applied for the position after Cottrell's departure and underwent the interview process following prayer and discussions with his family about the significant time commitment involved.

"It's an honor to step into this role," Dockery said. "I'm just going to try our best and do the very best we can for the students and coaches of Clay County."

The transition comes as fall sports ramp up, including football, soccer, cross country and volleyball. Dockery said he will continue coaching football while overseeing the athletic department.

Hayesville has maintained a strong athletic tradition, frequently contending for conference championships across multiple sports. Dockery acknowledged some pressure to sustain that success but expressed confidence in building on the program's foundation.

"There's some pressure to try to continue doing the things that we did," he said. "Coach Cottrell always tried to do things the right way, and I think that we're going to try to do our very best to do the same thing ... be ethical about everything and try to teach the kids right from wrong and that hard work does pay off."

Dockery, who also pastors a church, described the role as demanding but said he felt the opportunity was the right fit.

"I just told the Lord that if he wanted me to have it, he'd open this door, and I feel like that he has," Dockery said.

He said his immediate focus is preparing for the upcoming season while emphasizing organization, ethics and setting a positive example for student-athletes.