ARTHUR — Nathan Seal’s connection to all of the communities involved with Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond High School is two-fold.
The 1994 DeLand-Weldon graduate remembers suiting up for athletic events against Arthur, Lovington and Atwood-Hammond opponents when he was in high school.
Seal also stayed aware of what was presently happening at ALAH as a result of his relationship with Shannon Cheek, the Knights’ superintendent who previously worked with Seal for about two decades at Mahomet-Seymour.
So when the ALAH athletic director position opened up last month, Seal didn’t need a complete crash course in Knights lore.
“I’ve been intrigued for a while to possibly get into administration,” Seal said. “They’re looking for somebody that has energy and wants to learn and be involved in the community. One of the big pull factors for me deciding to leave Mahomet was everything else the community has to offer in Arthur.”
Knights officials liked what they saw in Seal as well, and so it was announced Thursday that Seal is ALAH’s new athletic director and assistant principal.
Seal has been the M-S girls’ basketball coach since the 2000-01 season, and M-S AD Matt Hensley told The News-Gazette that Seal is vacating the position. Seal also spent time on staffs for Bulldogs cross-country, track and field and soccer.
“It’s exciting,” Seal said of his new gig. “It’s a little scary at the same time because there’s a lot of new things. I’ve been doing the same thing, teaching and coaching, for a long time, and change is hard sometimes.”
But Seal felt it was time to leave his comfort zone and said he’s “looking forward to the challenge” of being a first-time AD.
He replaces Jared Vanausdoll as the Knights’ AD after Vanausdoll last month accepted the job as principal of Tuscola’s East Prairie Middle School. Vanausdoll had served at ALAH in numerous roles since 2002.
“For me it was his enthusiasm and, honestly, I knew that Nathan was going to be kids-first, so that’s huge,” Cheek said. “My hope is Nathan can take some of those things (that Vanausdoll achieved) and build on it and hopefully grow our programs.”
Seal also was a social sciences teacher at M-S. He compiled a 296-266 record in 20 season overseeing Bulldogs girls’ hoops, guiding the program to a 25-4 ledger and a Class AA regional championship in 2005.
“I’d be lying if I said it was easy (to leave the team),” Seal said. “It’s the most difficult decision I’ve had to make. ... Telling my team especially earlier this week that I made a decision that was in the best interest for myself and my family still didn’t make it any easy decision.
“I have very, very fond memories of Mahomet. I’ll carry those with me the rest of my life.”
Hensley said a search is ongoing for the next M-S girls’ basketball leader.
ALAH athletics has drawn plenty of attention in recent school years for the exploits of Kenli Nettles, who won three Class 1A girls’ track and field state titles in 2019 and is headed to Iowa to continue her athletic career. From a team perspective, the Knights have won two softball regionals, one volleyball regional and one boys’ basketball regional since 2015, and their football team twice has qualified for postseason play in that timeframe.
“I’m excited to build those relationships down there with those students and with the staff,” Seal said. “Mr. Hensley once said, ‘You’re still coaching when you’re the athletic director, but you’re not coaching kids — you’re coaching adults.’ And that’s a true statement.”
Seal said he’s focused entirely on his newly-acquired roles and not on a potential return to the basketball sidelines, though he noted “I learned a long time ago never say never.”
Seal has plenty on his plate as it is, now tasked with guiding ALAH sports through the uncertainties associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s a big change for me regardless, and you put that on top of it, it can look overwhelming,” Seal said. “But I’ve got a good group I get to work with. That’s how we’ll get through it.”
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Longtime Mahomet-Seymour coach Seal named ALAH athletic director - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
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