the Cafe
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Duncan Smith couldn't get Southeastern Sussex County out of his system.
That's why, after spending a year as a soccer coach and math teacher in Maryland, he has returned to fill those same positions at Indian River High School in 1998.
Smith was a teacher and soccer coach at IR from 1993-1996, guiding the Indians to three straight Southern Division titles. He left after the 1996 season, however, to coach at Seneca Valley High School in Montgomery County, Md.
But when his wife, Cindy, completed graduate school in Baltimore in May, the couple began thinking about returning to Delaware. "That was definitely something we wanted to do," Smith said.
As luck would have it, there were two math teacher openings in the Indian River School District, one at Indian River High School and the other at Selbyville Middle School.
Smith retained his job as coach and teacher at IR while Cindy received the teaching job at SMS.
"The people at Indian River have been great about giving me the opportunity to come back," Smith said. "It's great to be wanted."
His coaching chores won't be easy, however.
Smith inherits a team that won its fourth straight Henlopen South title last year with a 7-8-1 record under coach Kevin Darcy. But the Indians lost a number of seniors to graduation and have only 30 players combined on the varsity and junior varsity squads.
"There were some adjustments to make," he said.
But those adjustments haven't dampened the enthusiasm of one of IR's most popular coaches and teachers.
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