Head Football Coach/
Athletics Director
Coach Howell attended The Citadel where he earned a B.S. in Math (Education). He also earned an M.Ed. in educational leadership from the University of South Carolina six years ago. A native of the Columbia area, Coach Howell attended Brookland-Cayce High School where he played football for the Bearcats. He is married to the former Laura Sherrill of West Columbia, and they are proud parents of Kaleigh Grace (12), Connor Dean (10) and Taylor Elizabeth (5), all Crusaders since day one. They are active members of Northside Baptist Church where Coach Howell leads a life group and serves as a deacon.
Coach Dean Howell enters his second season as the head coach at Northside after transitioning the team into 11 man football a year ago. Coach Howell comes to NCA after a 26 year career in public schools, including 12 years as a head coach, the last 8 at White Knoll High School in Lexington. After posting a 6-5 record in his first year, Coach Howell led the Timberwolves to their first region championship in school history in year two, winning eight straight games at one point. The Timberwolves class of 2017 placed a school-record seven athletes into the college ranks for football and accumulated an overall 3.21 GPA. The team placed four members to the All Area team as picked by The State paper and the HSSR honored two Timberwolves at the state level as well. The 2017 team continued down the same path, recording 8 wins against 5 losses and picked up 2 wins in the 5A playoffs. Five Timberwolves were named to the All-Region team with Joe Beckett picking up All-State honors in addition to being named to participate in the North-South All Star Game in Myrtle Beach. Shaheem Haltiwanger became just the third player in White Knoll history to represent the school in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. His last three years were near .500 campaigns and Coach Howell enters this season with an 81-52 overall record.
Previous to White Knoll, Coach Howell spent four years at A.C. Flora, where, under his leadership, the AC Flora Falcons won three straight region championships. His 2011 football season was the most successful season in school history with the Falcons posting a 12-2 record and reaching the Lower State Finals. Flora continued their winning ways in 2012 with an 11-2 record while reaching the third round of the playoffs. More importantly, Coach Howell’s teams at Flora were busy in the classroom as well, consistently posting a team GPA over 3.2 and graduating 17 seniors with honors. His staff placed 27 players on the All-Region team the last three years, including the last two Region Players of the Year. Three Falcons represented AC Flora in the North-South All-Star Game, and two of the last three All-Area Players of the Year on offense and defense in The State paper played for Coach Howell at Flora. His teams produced 13 young men who went on to play college football. In all, Coach Howell has been fortunate enough to coach over 30 athletes who competed collegiately and 3 NFL players. Also, five assistant coaches from his staff have gone on to become head coaches.
Coach Howell’s football experience spans 27 seasons and includes stops at four different area schools. His career started at Richland Northeast under Joe Wingard and continued for Coach Jay Frye. In two years as the varsity offensive line coach, he coached two young men who played in all-star games and later played college football. From there, he spent four years at White Knoll High School under Mark Cagle and coached two more young men to all-star games and on to the college ranks. His next coaching stop was at Brookland-Cayce where he spent time as the offensive line coach and coordinated the offense for Brad Coleman. Again, he coached two position players into an all-star game who later went on to play college football. At Chapin High in 2008, he was the varsity running backs coach for Larry Grady. Coach Howell’s first season at AC Flora in 2009 was a subpar 4-6 before turning it around and winning 33 of his final 39 games at the school, including a 6-3 record in the playoffs.
Larry Bost
Director of Football Operations
Coach Larry Bost is a native of Statesville, North Carolina and he is a graduate of South Iredell High School and Appalachian State University. Coach Bost spent the first five years of his coaching and teaching career in Charleston County and arrived in Lexington School District 1 in 1978. He began at Lexington High School and transferred to White Knoll Middle School when it opened in 1992. He transferred to Carolina Springs Middle School for its opening in 2007. Coach Bost was athletic director of both middle schools and held several coaching positions there. He was a head track coach at Lexington and White Knoll High Schools for 30 years, having over 325 wins. He retired from teaching in 2014. He formerly was the President of the Palmetto Athletic Conference, home to 15 of the 16 middle schools in Lexington County. From 2000 until 2021, he was the director of football operations including equipment management and the director of C team track programs at White Knoll High School.
Coach Bost is married to the former Mary Ann Isenhour. They have one son, Jonathan, daughter-in-law Abby , two grandsons and one granddaughter. He and his family are long time members at Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church.
Justin Taylor
Strength & Conditioning - LB
I am Justin Taylor, Head of Strength and Conditioning. Here at Northside Christian, I pride myself in expanding my biblical worldview and developing our athletes to reach any athletic goal that they may have. I am a full time member of the Physical Education department of the school, where we like to consider ourselves the fun teachers. I am a Columbia, S.C native. I would like to think that I was a multi-sport athlete, but in reality, football was the sport where I became my greatest in competition. I’ve played football since I was knee high to a duck, just before I was tall enough to ride a small dog. After three years of college football at Furman University, I decided that it was time to give the game to the younger people of the world. With my growth in football and other athletics, I acquired the joy that I hold in developing the athletic potential of young bodies. As a piece of the Northside Athletics puzzle, I also have the pleasure of working with our young men on the football team as an assistant coach. It is an honor to be a part of this staff, this school, this family. Thank you!
Robbie Kinard
Middle School Assistant Coach
Robert (Robbie) Kinard
Married to Suzanne Kinard- will celebrate 25th Anniversary on October 26, 2021.
Son J.R. (13)
Currently serving as a Deacon and Men’s Basketball Coordinator at Riverland Hills Baptist Church- member since 2006. Accepted Christ in 1992 while attending Shandon Baptist.
B.S. Business Administration 1990 USC-Aiken
MBA 2006 Webster University
Lettered in Football (3) Basketball (2) and Track (3) at Pelion
Rec Head Coaching experience in Flag Football, Basketball and Soccer. Rec Assistant Coaching experience in Soccer and Lacrosse.
Northside Coaching Experience- Head Middle School Football Coach 2019 and Assistant in 2020. Assistant Varsity Coach 2019 and 2020.
Spring 2021 Assistant Track Coach (Sprinters)
15 years of Officiating Experience with SCISA, Upward and Recreational Leagues in Football and Basketball.
Football and Basketball Broadcasting experience with WDOG, High School Game Day, Big South Network and NFHS Network.
Todd McClinton
Assistant Coach - DL
Todd McClinton (Coach Tiny) is a graduate of C.A. Johnson, where he was an All-American football player. Todd attended Clemson University and played both offensive and defensive line for the Tigers. He was the only player of his time there to letter in both positions. Todd returned home to Columbia to work with Jubilee Academy as the Assistant Headmaster and the Upper School PE Teacher. He started his official football coaching career at A.C.Flora High School as a tight-ends and d-line Coach. He coached there for ten years, winning many region Championships and one State Championship. In March 2021, Coach McClinton decided to join coach Dean Howell at Northside Christian Academy. He is in his current role as the Middle School PE Teacher and the Defensive Line Coach for football going into his second season. He is looking forward to helping cultivate leadership and substance in the lives of all of our kids here at NCA.
Andy Walke
Middle School Head Coach
2022 begins the Walke family’s 11th year at NCA. Andy and Caroline have been married for 21 years and have 3 children. Andrew, a 2020 NCA graduate is a junior at The Citadel, Natalie, 11th grade, runs cross country and plays basketball for NCA and Cooper is in the 7th grade and playing on the NCA middle school football team as well as the shooting sports team.
Andy has been in real estate for 20+ years and Caroline is a nurse in her 26th year with Lexington Medical Center. They both have a passion for Christian education and enjoy being a part of NCA.
Andy is the shooting sports head coach and the middle school football head coach. He has been an assistant football coach at NCA for the past 9 years, and this will be his 6th season as head coach for the shooting sports team. Caroline has been an assistant on the women’s basketball team for the past several years. Andy is currently the President of the Booster Club board and has previously served as Vice President and Treasurer.