Athletic director demoted and coach fired amid Topsail High wrestling investigation

PENDER COUNTY – Nearly three months after Pender County Schools fired Topsail High School’s wrestling coach and announced an investigation into the program, the school’s athletic director has been fired from his position.

READ MORE: PCS investigates high school wrestling program after coach fired

The district released the final report of an investigation by Schwartz Law on Tuesday. Investigators said the district had sufficient grounds to fire head coach Pete Smith. The district also decided to demote Topsail High athletic director Chris McGee.

The report shows that Smith and others involved in the wrestling program embezzled funds, violated school rules and North Carolina High School Athletic Association regulations, and created a problematic environment with bullying and possible Title IX violations.

Smith has been head coach since October 2021, but his contract was not renewed after the season ended on February 17, 2024. At the time, the school district announced that it was investigating Smith and the wrestling program because both school system employees and a significant portion of the Topsail High School community had raised “significant concerns” with the board.

The report makes clear that others were also complicit in Smith’s actions, including Topsail High School administrators and McGee, who failed to properly oversee the program and report policy violations to PCS and NCHSAA.

As a result, the athletic director position is now vacant. According to district spokesman Bob Fankboner, McGee has been transferred to a teaching position, but will remain at Topsail High.

The investigation also found troubling or irregular conduct by other staff members, including principal Larry Obeda, treasurer Stephanie Curry and Smith’s assistant coaches. Fankboner told PCD that six employees had received reprimands in connection with the report, but further information about them, including their names, was not publicly available.

The report released on Tuesday comes to the following conclusions about Smith’s conduct:

• The district guidelines on financial management were not complied with
• Allowed an extracurricular to use Topsail High’s facilities without an agreement, exposing the district to liability issues
• Violating North Carolina High School Athletics Association policies by allowing wrestlers to train without a medical exam
• Did not properly screen assistant coaches and fired three of them during one season
• Led a team with numerous bullying problems
• Likely to violate Title IX

Based on financial violations, Schwartz Law found that Smith mismanaged funds from fundraisers and unaffiliated wrestling camps, although there was no evidence of stolen or unaccounted money. To investigators, Smith, a freelance, non-school employee, said he was never fully briefed on the district’s financial procedures.

The report shows that on June 4, 2023, Smith hosted an unauthorized fundraiser at Matter More Coffee, a coffee shop Smith owned at the time. In advertising for the event, Smith asked people to stop by to get their car washed and buy a coffee; Schwartz Law noted that no proceeds went to the THS wrestling program. Smith said that money was intended to fund THS wrestlers’ attendance at a camp in Missouri, although that did not happen; instead, the money was transferred to the THS Booster Club’s account.

Smith also redirected a portion of the funds – $4,500 of $13,500 – from an approved sponsorship fundraiser to the THS Booster Club.

In March 2022, Smith and his assistant coach Edwin Aristizabal formed a wrestling club, Irontide Wrestling. However, Smith told investigators he had turned over control of the club to Topsail Middle wrestling coach Chuck Johnson.

Still, Irontide was allowed to use THS facilities, particularly the cafeteria, for practices despite the lack of a facility use agreement signed and approved by the district. Johnson said he thought Smith took care of that; Smith said he didn’t think an agreement needed to be signed because Irontide was a fundraiser, a sentiment shared by athletic director McGee.

According to the guidelines, fundraisers are not exempt from the obligation to use the facility.

Schwartz Law found that Irontide had donated money (which actually went into the THS wrestling account) and equipment to THS Wrestling as “compensation” for the unofficial cafeteria rental. The firm also concluded that McGee, Obeda and Curry were aware of Irontide’s use of THS facilities and signed a donation agreement with the club.

“Had an Irontide wrestler or anyone else been injured while Irontide was using the THS facility, the district could potentially have faced significant liability,” the report said.

The report also highlights disturbing incidents, including bullying among students and assistant coaches, which Smith failed to report to administration in accordance with procedures.

The report mentions an injury to a student in 2023 that Smith said was the result of “mischief.” Schwartz Law states that the coach did not file an incident or disciplinary report and that the injury report misstated the nature of the injury. All details of that incident have been redacted.

Although the report is also heavily redacted, it mentions a bullying incident on the team that Smith learned about through text screenshots. Smith was informed of the comments, which he described as “pretty bad,” on a Thursday, but did not notify McGee until the following Monday. Those messages were eventually sent to headquarters, including to Superintendent Brad Breedlove.

Schwartz Law noted that the incident was handled internally and the bully was suspended but allowed to return without formal disciplinary action.

As for the coaches, Aristizabal, Lukas Engledow and Jarrid Braunagel were all fired in the first week of February 2024, although written notice of termination was either not provided or was provided very late.

Aristizabal and Engledow were fired by Smith in February for making derogatory comments on Instagram about athletes on the wrestling team at Laney High School in New Hanover County. Some comments used the phrases “TRASH KID” and “CHOKE BOY” to describe the Laney players.

Braunagel was fired for “berating” a wrestler after a lost match. His behavior was so aggressive, the report said, that another assistant coach, Mike May, had to intervene.

The coaching staff was found to have violated several NCHSAA regulations. The report states that only three of nine assistant coaches completed the required training and paperwork as required by NCHSAA. The three compliant coaches were Terence Rohmeyer, Dylan Fuentes and Braunagel. The district also had not conducted required background checks on Rohmeyer, Ethan Belvins and Tommy Lee.

The report blames athletic director McGee for the lack of documentation, but notes that Smith was vague about who was on the coaching staff.

Aristizabal, a paid employee without any required training, was reported to have conducted rehearsals during “dead times” and on Sundays without Smith’s knowledge, according to the report.

Several players were also allowed to practice without a physical, which is an NCHSAA violation. Despite numerous attempts by McGee, assistant athletic director Chris Blake and coach Erin Kelly, the coaching staff did not comply with this requirement; Smith even asked McGee to ignore the missing physicals, and according to the report.

It is unclear whether the NCHSAA will take punitive action against the THS wrestling team.

Schwartz Law redacted much of the reporting on Title IX issues it found, but the report does not mention Smith’s refusal to coach female wrestlers, even though the THS team is co-ed.

McGee hired a female trainer, Dashiniq Sidbury, and her lack of wrestling experience is a potential violation of Title IX because the Schwartz Law requires different qualifications for female and male trainers.

The report also described Smith’s unwillingness to work with Sidbury and her unfair treatment of trainer Kelly. Smith asked both women not to show up for training.

You can read the full report below:

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