Midland Valley High School football coach Earl Chaptman could be back on the sideline when the Mustangs take on J.L. Mann to begin their 2024 season.
Work is underway to get the coach reinstated after all of the criminal charges filed against him were dismissed, Chaptman's attorney, Sidney Jones, said Friday afternoon.
The Aiken County Public School District placed Chaptman on administrative leave after Aiken County Sheriff's deputies arrested him on July 6 and charged him with second-degree domestic violence.
North Augusta Public Safety officers charged Chaptman with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content of less than 0.10, driving between 10 and 15 miles per hour over the speed limit, improper lane shifting and not having insurance on May 4.
All of these charges have been dismissed because they have been confirmed by bodycam footage to be bogus and unfounded, Jones said.
Chaptman became Midland Valley's head coach in May 2021 to start a rebuilding process for a program that had been 6-40 overall (2-20 in region games) in the previous five seasons. The Mustangs were 1-10 in his first season, then improved to 5-6 in his second before making a breakthrough last fall.
Midland Valley had its most successful season in several years in 2023, posting a 12-1 record and reaching the third round of the South Carolina High School League Class AAAA playoffs. The Mustangs captured the Region 4-AAAA title with a 49-48 victory over North Augusta, their first win in the series since 1998.