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After dropping that figure to almost 23 points per game this past season, he now has the task of teaching the basics of football to inexperienced players.
Duley, New Albany's defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, has been named the head football coach for the fledgling Union County School District program that is about to enter its second season.
"I was here before and I really enjoyed it," said Duley, 34, who taught previously at East Union Attendance Center nearly a decade ago. "It's a very good opportunity, No. 1, for these young men to play football, and for these communities to have a football program."
The Union County football program consists of athletes from East Union, Ingomar, Myrtle and West Union schools. Since those four schools are rather small in terms of enrollment, the most sound opportunity for the students to play football is if there was one program that incorporated all of the schools.
(New Albany High School, which is located in Union County, is not part of the Union County School District; the MHSAA Class 4A school is operated by the New Albany School District.)
Only seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders took part in the program's inaugural season under the watchful eye of acting head coach Chris Basil.
Basil has since become East Union's assistant principal and will no longer be coaching football. He will remain as the East Union head baseball coach.
This season, Duley expects students in the seventh through 10th grades to join the program.
"We will have a junior high team and at least something with the freshmen and sophomores," he said. "I would hate to have those young men who are now sophomores not have an opportunity to play."
No stranger to new things
Duley and his wife, Heather, were responsible for starting East Union's cross country program several years ago.
That goes to show that Duley, despite entering his first head-coaching job in football, can handle the responsibilities of developing a new program and bring it to a varsity level.
"Scott will be a good football coach," said Union County School District Superintendent Ken Basil. "He can handle anything, from fundraising on down."
Duley has already started getting the program ready for its second season by cutting the grass at the practice facility across the street from the East Union Attendance Center.
"We'll start meeting with these young men, hire some assistant coaches and hopefully get on the ball in the next couple of weeks," he said.
While nothing has been set in stone of where the team will be practicing, Duley said he would like to hold practice sessions this season at East Union.
Last year, the Union County schools held practices at the New Albany Sportsplex.
"What I hope is that we're able to get a permanent facility somewhere in a more central location, something owned by the Union County school system that we can use and it will just be ideal with all the parents," said the former Lambuth University offensive lineman.
As far as games go, the Union County program would like to play seven or eight games this season. Last season, the program played five games.
"Right now, the games we have scheduled are going to be on the road," Duley said of the five or six games his team currently has in the works for this year. "The New Albany school department and Superintendent Dr. (Charles) Garrett have been kind enough to extend an invitation to use their facilities.
"If we do have some home games, it will be at the New Albany home field."
Contact John Wilbert at 678-1572 or john.wilbert@djournal.com