Brad Ellingsworth named head football coach at Sussex Tech

Bradley Ellingsworth, a 28-year-old sixth-grade math teacher at Mariner Middle School, is the newly named head coach of football at Sussex Technical High School. A Sussex Tech alumnus class of 2010, he played as a 5-foot 7-inch, 190-pound guard for head coach Bill Collick, offensive coordinator Ron Dickerson, and defensive coach Marty Cross. All three became mentors for a young man who would put himself through college while serving as an assistant football coach at Laurel, Cape and Sussex Tech. 

Brad described his history as growing up in a split family in Laurel. When the Tech job opened, he was concerned that teaching for Cape and coaching at Sussex Tech would present allegiance issues for both positions.

“First and foremost, I could not overstate how blessed I am to work in the Cape Henlopen School District. I work for incredible people, from [Cape superintendent] Mr. Fulton to [Mariner principal] Mr. Best. I really feel like, even as administration officials, they still look out for me as a teacher, and that really means a lot to me,” he said. 

“Cape Henlopen is an incredible school district, and if your child attends the district, you are a fortunate parent. Cape Henlopen is, in my opinion, a trendsetter when it comes to education in our state. Sussex Tech is also an incredible school run by incredible people. It’s really splitting hairs when you talk about education between these two districts. I was fortunate to have had the privilege to experience high school at Sussex Tech under the tutelage of amazing coaches, educators and administration. I guess to summarize, I would say that I want both families [districts] to know that it is very possible for me to love, care and grind for all my students and athletes, no matter if I work and coach in two different districts to do so,” Ellingsworth said.

Sussex County has always been a place of roving anthropologists doing kinship analysis. Downstate is an inquisitive culture, especially in sports. The question “Where do you fit?” is always lurking.

“My mom currently is the math specialist at Rehoboth Elementary,” Brad said. “My father takes care of the HVAC systems in the Indian River School District. My stepmother has her own beauty shop run out of the house.” 

Brad has four siblings, two on his mom’s side and two on his dad’s.

“My sisters on my mom’s side, Hannah Krause and Kayla Krause, are graduates of Sussex Tech. Both played field hockey at Tech when they won state titles in 2010 and 2011. Both went on to play field hockey at Lynchburg College. I have two brothers on my dad’s side, Austin Townsend and Conor Ellingsworth. Austin was a graduate of Sussex Tech, and Conor will be a senior at Sussex Tech next year. He plays football and baseball.”

Ellingsworth reflected on his mentors who helped him develop as a young coach.

“When Eston Ennis took over at Laurel, he was a defensive guy who was looking for an offensive guy. I was fortunate to have the support of some of the older, longtime Laurel coaches Mike Kelley, Brian Hearn and Joey Deiter, and through their suggestion, Eston asked me to take over the role of offensive coordinator. Eston giving me that responsibility at such a young age was an incredible experience that he and I went through. We remain close to this day.”

And then there is the connection to the coach everyone just knows as “Captain Dick.”

“In 2016 when I first became OC at Laurel, it was a really special time for me because I was able to spend lots of time with coach Ron Dickerson, whom I had played for at Sussex Tech. Coach Dickerson and I would talk on the phone regularly, and I was able to sit with him in his home a few times and we would discuss practice schedules, position drills, blocking rules, etc. I have never seen a coach with so much organization and preparation. He still had yearly manuals and scouting reports back from when he coached at Seaford. The preparation he put into coaching football was incredible and unparalleled,” said Ellingsworth.

Sussex Tech has several veteran football coaches in place who will remain on staff. Coach Brad was asked if he was surprised he was offered the job.

“I was surprised, but the coaches supported me throughout the entire process. I am blessed to have guys like Jim Durkin and Scott Layfield still along with me. Those guys are coaching pillars at Sussex Tech. They’ve been doing it well for almost as long as I have been alive. I’m fortunate to have GL Jefferson on staff as well, who has been the head baseball coach for some time. I am lucky to have them and will most certainly lean on them going forward.”

Coach Brad was asked, “What will your offensive philosophy be at Sussex Tech? Are you a more traditional Wing-T guy or do you like a more wide-open attack?” 

“Coach Dickerson is shaking his head at me right now,” Ellingsworth responded, “and so will coach Cross and coach Collick, but we will be in a spread offensively.” 

Matt Holmes will serve as defensive coordinator on the Ravens’ staff. When asked 50 or 60, odd or even, read and react, or multiple blitz packages, coach Ellingsworth said, “I’m blessed to have a great football mind on my staff in Matt Holmes. He’s been on the staff for a while now and he has a great football IQ. We are still constructing what we’d like to do defensively. My philosophy with Matt defensively is I’d like the ability to be simple yet multiple, in order to play fast, but still be sound week in and week out. If you’re having to think about your assignment on every play defensively, you’re already beat. I know Matt will put our kids in the best position to succeed defensively.”

Asked if he expected to run three programs – varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen – Ellingsworth, “I would love to keep all three levels. I really feel like the freshmen program is a critical piece to any football program, but especially ours at Tech. I think in ninth grade, aside from the once-in-a-while standout, it’s still really difficult to tell how a kid will develop physically and from a football standpoint. I think the freshmen program is important to keep as many kids as possible involved. You just don’t know if a kid in ninth grade that you are just unsure about and hasn’t played before might eventually develop into a solid player for you as a senior or possibly sooner.”

Brad Ellingsworth is a smart, young, resourceful, no-excuses teacher and coach. He has proven to be efficient with his time, employing an incredible work ethic while remaining relatable to his young math students and high school football players. Sussex Tech took no chance giving a young football coach his first head coaching job, while Mariner is happy to retain its teacher of sixth-grade math. Everyone wins until the ball kicks off. 

Former coach and mentor Bill Collick sums up Ellingsworth like this: “Brad was an undersized lineman who played big, and when he coached with me, he also played big. Kids gravitate to him and respect him. He'll do a great job.”