One of the

most successful coaching stints in any high school sport in Fayette County

came to an end this week when Stephen Buckner stepped down as head coach

of the McIntosh Lady Chiefs soccer team.

Buckner led

the squad for six seasons, with astonishing results:

In 1999, reaching

the AAAAA state semifinals.

In 2000, going

unbeaten the entire season and sharing the AAAA state championship with

Pope.

In 2001, moving

to the new AAAAA classification and losing to Pope in overtime in the

state championship game.

In 2002, another

trip to the state semifinals.

In 2003, going

undefeated and achieving a number-one ranking in the nation before losing

to Parkview in the state quarterfinals.

"He's

had them there every year," said McIntosh athletic director Marc

Mickelboro. "When you get down to the last three or four in any sport,

everybody is good."

While the McIntosh

program is obviously one of the most prestigious in the state in girls

soccer, filling Buckner's slot may not be easy. Most coaches have already

signed contracts for the upcoming year, Mickelboro said.

Moving an assistant

into the head coaching position is also out of the question, he added,

since Heather Allen has already accepted the head coaching job at Whitewater

High School.

Buckner could

not be reached for a comment before press time, but published reports

indicated that he wished to seek other opportunities, including the possibility

of work as an actor. He was the drama teacher at McIntosh "He did

a great job at that, too," Mickelboro said had has been very active

in community theater in the area.

Excellence

in girls soccer has been a staple at McIntosh for more than a decade.

Before Buckner took over, the team won state championships in 1992 and

1994, when all girls teams competed in a single classification, and then

took the first state title in AAAA competition in 1995.

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