Jeff Tyl (Courtesy photo)
ASHEBORO – Jeff Tyl had an up-close view of Southwestern Randolph’s state championship in boys’ soccer last year.
Now Tyl moves up from an assistant coach to head coach of the Cougars.
“I’ve been coaching these kids since they were 3 years old,” he said. “I coached at majority of those kids prior to them getting to (Southwestern Randolph).”
Tyl fills a vacancy created with the retirement of Jimmy Walker, who was in his third stint as the team’s coach.
It’s a natural progression for Tyl, who also has been coaching the district’s middle school team for several years. He also has been involved with youth travel teams. So his connections to many of the players run deep.
“It felt right to continue that,” he said. “I’ve been teaching them soccer-wise since a very early age.”
Walker, who earlier in his career founded the program at the school, coached the past four seasons. It cumulated in the Class 2A state title with a 27-1 record.
For four seasons, Tyl served as an assistant coach, though at the beginning he had work commitments that prevented him from attending every practice.
Brandon Tyl, one of the new coach’s three sons, was a key member of the 2025 championship team as a senior. His younger brothers Holt Tyl (finishing 10th grade) and Levi Tyl (finishing sixth grade) are soccer players as well.
There will be a new core of players making impacts for Southwestern Randolph with the next team because there were 13 seniors on the championship squad. Yet Southwestern Randolph’s junior varsity team suffered only one loss in each of the past two seasons.
“JV would give varsity a run for their money,” Jeff Tyl said of last year’s practices. “We’re going to challenge some people. … It’s a mindset and a buy-in.”
There’s plenty of interest in soccer. Tyl said there were 41 players trying out for the middle school team this spring.
Tyl said maintaining the momentum for the Cougars will be the goal, and he figures he’ll have plenty of support.
“The community has always been so positive,” he said.
