Class 5A
Number of hires: 16
Best hire: Tim Barron, Villa Rica
Hardest to replace: Tim McFarlin, Blessed Trinity
Best job: Blessed Trinity
Toughest job: North Springs
Most interesting: State powers Blessed Trinity and St. Pius, which coincidentally are this classification’s Catholic schools, had headline-making coaching changes in January as Tim McFarlin and Paul Standard left what many would consider dream jobs. McFarlin had led Blessed Trinity to state championships three of the past four seasons. He also won a state title years ago at Roswell, making him one of 15 GHSA coaches to win championships at two schools. Now, he can become the first coach to win titles at three schools in the same city. A month after his Blessed Trinity resignation, he was announced as head coach at Roswell’s Fellowship Christian of Class A. At St. Pius, Standard was presumed to be coach for life at his alma mater, but he took the job as Gilmer’s head coach, saying he wanted to return to the public schools, where he worked for 16 years, to add to his retirement down the road. St. Pius was 1-9 in 2000 when it hired Standard. He then went 174-72 with eight region titles.
Region 1
None
Region 2
*Griffin hired Rutland coach Rusty Easom to replace Kareem Reid, who left to become the University of Central Florida’s assistant director of recruiting. Easom was the defensive coordinator on Griffin’s 2013 Class 4A championship team. That was his last year in a 10-year stint with the Bears. He was East Coweta’s defensive coordinator from 2014 to 2018. At Rutland, he went 3-15 in two seasons after inheriting a team on a 23-game losing streak.
Region 3
*Banneker promoted defensive coordinator and former NFL linebacker Braxton Kelly to replace Lou George, who left the education field. Kelly played at LaGrange, winning state titles in 2003 and 2004, and Kentucky, then three seasons with the Denver Broncos. He was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for seven years at Clark Atlanta. Banneker was 7-11 under George.
Region 4
*Eagle’s Landing hired Duluth defensive coordinator Markus Brown to replace Shawn Jones. Brown previously has coached at M.L. King, Miller Grove, Discovery and alma mater Lithonia. Eagle’s Landing was 0-10 in 2020 and 19-43 in six seasons under Jones, who is now Ola’s safeties coach.
*Locust Grove hired Our Lady of Mercy coach Mark Miller to replace Clint Satterfield. Miller has been a head coach at Woodward Academy (2005-10), Strong Rock Christian (2022-13) and Mercy (2018-19), which didn’t field a team in 2020 because of COVID-19. His career record is 50-66. Satterfield started the Locust Grove program in 2009, and his record in 12 seasons was 58-66. Satterfield retired from public schools and became head coach at Monticello’s Piedmont Academy of the Georgia Independent School Association.
*Ola hired Loganville defensive coordinator Ryan Angel to replace Jared Zito, who became head coach at Southeast Bulloch. Angel also has assisted at Jeff Davis, Newton and Bacon County and was Loganville’s wrestling coach. Ola was 9-2 in 2020, setting a school record for victories. Zito’s record in seven seasons at Ola was 36-37.
*Stockbridge hired its athletic director and former offensive coordinator, Thomas Clark, to replace Steve Boyd. Clark was on former coach Kevin Whitley’s staff for 10 seasons, during which the Tigers averaged 10 wins and won five region titles, but he stepped away in 2019 to become A.D. because school district rules don’t allow the dual roles. Stockbridge was 8-3 and 3-7 under Boyd, who is now Chapel Hill’s defensive coordinator.
*Woodland of Stockbridge hired East Paulding associate head coach Julian Hicks to replace Bryan Bailey. Hicks, a former Furman player under Bobby Lamb, also has assisted at North Clayton, Sprayberry and Riverdale. Woodland was 6-4 in its only season under Bailey, who got the job just a month before the 2020 opener when Antonio Andrews stepped down. Bailey has returned to Stockbridge, where he coached from 2012 to 2016, as offensive coordinator.
Region 5
*Chamblee promoted defensive coordinator Bob Swank to replace Scott Schwarzer, who became head coach at Northview. Swank, a Pennsylvania native, has been a head coach at Duluth (2015-18) and Pope (2005-07), where he helped develop NFL quarterback T.J. Yates. Chamblee was 5-1 against a non-region schedule in 2020.
*Lithonia hired Hapeville Charter offensive coordinator Kevin Hill to replace Frederick Greene, who became head coach at Druid Hills. Hill had been head coach at Lithia Springs (2017-18) and South Atlanta (2013-15). He’s a former Florida A&M player who has been on staffs at Westlake, Columbia and Newton. Lithonia was 3-4 last season.
*Northview hired Chamblee coach Scott Schwarzer to replace James Thomson, who became head coach at Tucker. Schwarzer’s Chamblee teams were 6-9 in two seasons. He had been Duluth’s offensive coordinator and was head coach at Windsor Forest (2013-14) in Savannah. Northview was 2-7 in 2020 and 15-25 in four seasons under Thomson.
*St. Pius promoted offensive line coach Chad Garrison to replace Paul Standard, who became head coach at Gilmer. Garrison has been the Golden Lions’ offensive line coach since 2000. Garrison previously was the school’s track-and-field coach, leading St. Pius to boys and girls state titles in 2006, and the baseball coach. Garrison previously assisted at Lovett and Campbell. St. Pius was 9-2 with a region title last season. (See GHSF Daily intern Abbey Walton’s interview with Garrison here.)
Region 6
*Chapel Hill hired South Atlanta coach Brad Stephens to replace Justin DeShon, who became head coach at Hillgrove. Stephens led South Atlanta to its first region title and state-playoff victory last season and to playoff appearances in four of his five years. South Atlanta had played just one prior playoff game in its history (2008).
*North Springs hired Wheeler offensive coordinator Jeff Phillips to replace interim coach Vince Strine, who remained as athletic director. Phillips was head coach at Austin East in Knoxville, Tenn., from 2013 to 2019, compiling a 55-28 record with two region titles. His 2016 team reached the Class 2A semifinals. North Springs was 0-7 in 2020. In midseason, head coach Scotty Parker was demoted to offensive coordinator, and Stine, the A.D., became interim coach. Parker is now Lithia Springs’ offensive line coach.
*Villa Rica hired Heard County coach Tim Barron to replace Christian Hunnicutt, who resigned, citing health reasons, and now is Collins Hill’s offensive line coach. Barron’s Heard County teams were 153-71 with seven region titles and a 2018 Class 2A championship. Heard was 0-11 in 2001, the season before Barron arrived, but 10-2 in Barron’s inaugural campaign. Villa Rica was 4-5 last season and hasn’t won a playoff game since 1998.
Region 7
*Blessed Trinity hired its former offensive coordinator, Tom Hall, to replace Tim McFarlin, who became head coach at Fellowship Christian. Hall was on Blessed Trinity’s staff from 2007 to 2017 and was offensive coordinator on the 2017 team that won a Class 4A championship. In 2020, he was the offensive coordinator at Somerset Academy Canyons in Boynton Beach, Fla. Blessed Trinity won football state titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and lost in the 2020 Class 5A quarterfinals to eventual champion Warner Robins.
Region 8
*Eastside promoted offensive coordinator Jay Cawthon to replace Troy Hoff, who became head coach at Woodstock. Cawthon has been Eastside’s offensive coordinator since 2005. He’s a Newton High graduate and former West Georgia quarterback. He has been on staffs at Central Gwinnett and Wheeler. Eastside was 10-3 in 2020, reaching the quarterfinals, and 51-17 in six seasons with Hoff.
Coming Thursday: Class 4A
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