Todd Close wasn’t too familiar with the Southeast Whitfield girls’ soccer program prior to taking the head coaching position this season.
In fact, had he been more knowledgeable, he would have been aware he was taking over a program that had won only three matches the year before and hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2011.
That, however, didn’t stop Close from turning around the program and leading them back to the postseason.
The Lady Raiders finished the regular season with a 9-2-2 record and the No. 2 seed in Region 7-AAAA, which means they’ll host a first-round playoff game tonight against White County (10-4) at 6.
Close was the athletic director and worked at Our Lady of Perpetual Health — the feeder school for Notre Dame — before taking over at Southeast.