Cedar Shoals has hired Leroy Ryals – who led crosstown rival Clarke Central to the state finals in 2009 – as its head football coach.
Ryals was 60-22-1 in seven seasons at Clarke Central before taking the Thomasville job in 2013. His Thomasville teams were 15-17, but bottomed out in 2015, finishing 1-8. Ryals was fired.
He will return to Athens to replace Scott Wilkins, who was 2-18 in two seasons. Cedar Shoals has not had a winning record in football since 2008, nor beaten Clarke Central since 2007.
Ryals had three 10-win seasons at Clarke, including its first in 12 years in 2009.
The Athens Banner-Herald was the first to report Ryals' hiring.
Clarke Central also has a new football coach. Don Perno, the former University of Georgia baseball coach and a Clarke alumnus, was announced for the job in December.
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