One of the most respected high school athletic directors in North Carolina is joining Polk County’s staff.

The Polk County Board of Education approved Monday night the hiring of Rex Wells as Polk County High School’s new athletic director. Wells will replace Brandon Schweitzer, who had served as the school’s assistant principal and athletic director until taking over as Polk County High’s principal on Oct. 31.

Wells retired in 2015 after serving as Asheville High School’s athletic director for 12 years. That role capped a distinguished 30-year career as a coach and athletic director in Western North Carolina and Georgia, his service so notable that in 2014 the North Carolina High School Athletic Association named him one of the top 100 athletic administrators in the state in the first 100 years of its existence.

“We are very fortunate to have Rex Wells join Polk County Schools as our new athletic director and we are excited to welcome him to our school family,” said Polk County Schools Superintendent Aaron Greene. “Mr. Wells is a highly respected educator in our region and state, and he has a long and successful history of coaching and working as an AD in Western North Carolina.

“A former president of the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association, his wisdom, experience and passion for athletics will help our students, coaches, teams and community tremendously.”

Wells served a total of 16 years as an athletic director at both Enka and Asheville. He is also a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, with more than 300 dual match victories and a state title to his credit during head coaching stints at Brevard, Enka and Asheville, and served as a defensive coordinator on state championship-winning football staffs at Brevard and Asheville. He has been active at state and national levels with the NCADA.

Among a long list of honors, he was named the state athletic director of the year in 2015.

“I’ve been out of it 15 months, and I missed it tremendously,” Wells said. “I feel fortunate to get this opportunity, and not just the opportunity but coming into a school system that is so awesome.”

Wells said he looked forward to getting to know more about Polk County’s athletic staff and programs in coming days and again working with coaches and student-athletes.

“Athletic are such a great part of kids’ lives. They’re the closest thing to life there is,” Wells said. “Being taught ideals and principles by their coaches is something that will carry on through the rest of their lives. I tell coaches all the time that their kids, in 10 or 15 years, won’t remember the wins and losses, but they will remember how you made them feel and the experiences you gave them. The true measure of a man or woman is seeing how they progress, seeing if they become good fathers and mothers and leaders in their communities. . . Don’t get caught up in the moment.

“I want to come in and try to analyze things and see where we are in Polk County. They say when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I’m very impressed with the community and the district and how they take care of the coaches and take care of the kids. They’ve been one of the leaders in the state, and I want to continue that legacy.”

Wells will begin work this week in the post, which the Polk County Board of Education recently structured as a part-time position.

“Coach Wells is a veteran of 16 years in the athletic director’s chair and has well over 30 years in public education,” Schweitzer said. “He is well-known and respected statewide among the North Carolina High School Athletic Association ranks. We are truly lucky to find such a highly qualified individual in such a short period of time.”

• Submitted by PolkSports.com