Americus-Sumter hires Valdosta assistant

By GHSF Daily Staff

For the AJC

Americus-Sumter has hired Valdosta offensive coordinator Michael Pollock to replace Mark Wilson, who resigned in December.

Americus-Sumter is 19-44 since 2004, when Americus and Sumter high schools were consolidated. The Panthers were 15-27 the past four seasons under Americus graduate Wilson.

The school is dropping to Class AAA from AAAA in 2010, giving fans hope that the county can return to its football glory days. Americus won the most recent of its six GHSA state titles in 2001.

"It's a very good opportunity for us to compete in a league I think we can compete in," Pollock told Chris Whitaker of The Americus Times-Recorder in this story. "Any time you consolidate schools, it's tough. It's now been six years since they've done it, and I think it's ready to get things going in a direction to get the football program back among the elite teams in the state."

Pollock was head coach of Cook High in 2000 and 2001 and was 19-6. Before that, he was on the staff of Rick Tomberlin at Washington County. Pollock and Tomberlin were reunited at Valdosta, but Pollock's future became uncertain when Tomberlin was fired after four years.

Valdosta's defensive coordinator, Jeff Arnette, is in line to be named head coach at South Forsyth.

A Georgia graduate, Pollock, 38, has coached at Swainsboro and Appling County.

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