A 6-nil win over the Ridge View Blazers on April 1 gave Blythewood’s Robby Setzler his 100th win as a head coach.
“It was a good one,” Setzler said. “I’m glad Kevin (Heise) was there. My family was there. My wife, Melissa, was there. I got to see my sister’s girls and everything; it was special. I’m glad they could make it.
“Then, I’m glad it happened at Blythewood, and it wasn’t on the road or something. The fact I was able to get it at home means a lot to me. The family being there made it even more special. To do it with this group of guys is special to me. Hopefully, there is another 100 on the horizon.”
While Setzler marks a coaching milestone, his journey into coaching got off to an odd start. He was tabbed as the interim head coach at Brookland-Cayce High School during the 2017 season when Heise was placed on administrative leave, before ultimately stepping down. Setzler led that Bearcat team to a 19-7 record, a Region 5-3A title, and a quarterfinals appearance.
Following that stint, Setzler coached at Gilbert for two seasons.
He took over the Blythewood Bengals in 2021.
In five seasons with Blythewood Setzler has amassed an overall record of 61-36-5, including a Region 4-5A title in 2021. He’s posted a winning record in every season he’s been with the Bengals except for one.
“Peter Widdig came before me and did a great job,” Setzler said. “Blythewood is a school that has a lot of players, and there are some good soccer guys out there. It’s been great. I credit a lot of my success with having a great relationship with my assistant coach, Nick Hendrix, and having a great relationship with my athletics director, Barry Mizzell. I enjoy working for those guys. Blythewood is a great place.
“There have been some ups and downs. I wish we would have done better the previous two years in that difficult region with the Fort Mill schools. I’m just happy with where we are at, and watching what these kids are doing outside the Blythewood community once they go off to college is something special.”
Blythewood has built an 11-3 record this year, including 7-1 in Region 5-5A. The Bengals are coming off a 4-1 win over the Spring Valley Vikings that have them tied for first with the West Florence Knights.
“Everything is still there in our grasp,” Setzler said. “We control our own destiny. If we go out and play the way we are capable of playing, we should be in the mix come early May. This is a huge win tonight. It’s the last time we will play Spring Valley this year. We played them earlier at home. This puts us a leg up on them for sure with them having two losses and us having one. West Florence having one loss, which is to Spring Valley. It’s a big win tonight with huge region implications and playoff implications.”
Blythewood travels to West Florence on April 29 for what could be a region title match. However, a lot of soccer remains to be played for both teams between now and then. The Bengals end this week with the Lugoff-Elgin Demons before participating in the Nike Palmetto Cup.
As Setzler reflects on his 100 wins, the relationships with his players, the texts he receives from them, and former players coming back to watch games stands out to him.
The post Setzler wins his 100th game first appeared on Columbia Star.
April 10, 2025 | Columbia Star, The (SC)
Author/Byline: ops@our-hometown.com | Section: Sports