South football coach on move

Solomon leaves Pirates to return home to Franklin

By: Bob Nuse
   Louis Solomon certainly enjoyed his time as the head football coach at West Windsor-Plainsboro High South.
   But when the opportunity arose for him to go home, it was one he could not pass up.
   After two years with the Pirates, Solomon has been named the new head coach at his alma mater, Franklin High.
   "It was really an opportunity of a lifetime for me," said Solomon, who started at quarterback for the Warriors for three years, leading them to back-to-back 10-1 seasons as a junior and senior. "It am very thankful for the opportunity that I had at South. I was very happy and I think we were making progress. But Franklin is a special place for me and I am excited to be going back."
   In his two years as the head coach of the Pirates, Solomon led the team to a 5-15 record, including a 3-7 mark this past season. He replaced Tom Stuart, who had coached the Pirates for 23 years prior to retiring after the 2002 season. Solomon takes over a Franklin program that has suffered through five straight losing seasons and last won a sectional championship in 1996.
   "My whole experience in West Windsor has been positive," Solomon said. "I met a lot of great people and I had an opportunity to learn from some great people. Tom Stuart was very helpful to me and I learned a lot from him. And I learned from a number of other people as well.
   "This opportunity for me at Franklin is exciting. I should have an opportunity to work with my brother (Nick), who has been coaching there. And this is the program that I played in so it means a lot to me. I have a lot of support in the community and I am looking forward to the challenge."
   Solomon certainly would have liked to have seen better results on the field for his two years at South. But he’ll leave feeling the program is heading toward success.
   "We were heading in the right direction," Solomon said. "I think the team will do well next year. It’s a good group and they have a strong work ethic that is there. It’s a group of players that work hard and they are committed to improving. I feel good about the future of the program."
   The head coaching opportunity was Solomon’s first. After a successful collegiate career at Clemson, he served as an assistant coach at Asbury Park and Perth Amboy. He learned from some of the best coaches in New Jersey history, having played his high school football under Len Rivers, Charlie Weiss and Joe Stinson.
   "I’ve been fortunate to be around some great coaches," Solomon said. "The ones I played for and the ones I worked with here. You learn from everyone and I’m always trying to learn."
   Now he’ll get that chance at his alma mater, which is something special for Louis Solomon.