BY MARK MORING, Eastern Shore Post, Aug. 29, 2025
It’s been a long time since Arcadia High School had a winning football season. The Firebirds went 5-4 in 2019, but since then, they’ve won just 9 of 40 games.
Worse, they’ve gone winless in the Eastern Shore District in this decade, including 0-10 the last four years.
“Everybody’s tired of losing,” says sophomore wide receiver Malachi Palmer. “I can’t wait for us to get out there and start winning.”
Teammates Austin Holliday, a junior lineman, and Aiden Moore, a senior lineman, nod their heads in agreement.
“Things are starting to turn around,” says Holliday. “The confidence is turning on.”
“I think we’re going to shock some people,” adds Moore. “The wins are going to come.”
Of course, all teams are brimming with confidence before the first kickoff. But there’s something different, almost tangible, in the air in Oak Hall these days — in no small part because there’s a new skipper in town.
After coaching Arcadia’s junior varsity to a 6-2 record last fall — including 4-0 in the district — Mike Terrell took the varsity helm when former coach Alan Hall stepped aside late in the season for health reasons.
“I had given everything I could to Arcadia football,” says the now retired Hall. “But I’ve always been a firm believer in change.”
Hall passed the torch to Terrell with two games remaining last year. Though both were losses (to Nandua and to district champion Northampton), Hall believes Terrell can turn things around: “He will be great for Arcadia.”
Principal Shaun O’Shea agrees.
“Mike is a natural fit,” says O’Shea, “not only because of his football acumen, but because of his efforts to build trust and connection with our players and their families. He’s dedicated to cultivating even greater levels of accountability, effort, and pride. We look forward to what the season will bring.”
It’s easy to see why his players are so jazzed. Terrell brings a healthy mix of gung-ho conviction and genuine humility to the role. He’s easy to like.
“I’m humbled and grateful to be tasked with leading the football program at Arcadia,” he says. “It’s an honor and a privilege to lead these young men.”
And he’s got a lot of them — more than 40 players came out for the team, double the number from last fall.
Terrell talks about turning around a culture that is, as Palmer said, “tired of losing.”
“My topline goal is to bring a state championship to the school,” he says. Arcadia has never won a state title in any team sport.
Terrell prefers not to discuss the recent down years but instead focuses on developing a winning mindset — and then actually winning on the field.
“I don’t think anyone is thinking of the past seasons,” he says. “As soon as last year was over, we all started thinking about what could be.
“It’ll take a family atmosphere at all levels. That means buy-in from the players as to what we’re teaching and asking of them and backing each other up in all aspects.”
Terrell, 50, has been coaching football for 25 years, including 20 in youth leagues, most recently with the Chincoteague Colts as a coach and league president.
When not coaching, Terrell has a full-time job with Yulista Solutions at Wallops Island. He and his wife, Brenda, have a large blended family, including four adult children, a teenager, a toddler, and seven grandkids. A daughter, Brianna Merritt, died in 2019 at age 11 after a courageous battle with cancer.
When he is coaching, Terrell wants to “ensure these young men have everything they need to be successful in football and in life.
“I’m an optimist. I love pushing kids to be great and watching them do things they didn’t think were possible.”
His players are all in.
“Coach has been amazing,” says Holliday. “Good leadership, good plays, good everything. He’s giving us a chance to win.”
EASTERN SHORE POST/MARK MORING // Malachi Palmer, Austin Holliday, and Aiden Moore believe the Firebirds can become a winning program again.
“The excitement is here again,” adds Palmer. “That’s something we haven’t seen in a few years.”
The Mike Terrell Era begins Friday, Aug. 29, when the Firebirds host Laurel (DE) High School. Game time is 6 p.m.
