Maxwell among 13 new head coaches in Class AAA

GHSF Daily is chronicling the many coaching changes in the offseason. We continue today with Class AAA.

Number of hires: 13

Best hire: Sid Maxwell, Dawson County

Hardest to replace: Jon Lindsey, Cook

Best job: Cook

Toughest job: Spencer

Most interesting: Haralson County found its new head coach working part-time as a bus driver and substitute teacher. His name is Frank Vohun, who was 122-98 in 19 seasons as a Georgia head coach before hanging up his whistle in 2010. Vohun was coach of Haralson County from 2005 and 2009, and the 8-3 finish in 2007 remains the school's best against a full region schedule since 1969.

Region 1

*Cook promoted defensive coordinator Bobby Jones, a Cook assistant for 19 seasons, to replace Jon Lindsey, who took the East Paulding job. Cook was 9-3 in Lindsey's only season.

*Islands promoted top assistant Robert Zoller to replace Chris Simpson, who remained at the school as a teacher. Zoller had been a defensive coordinator at Jenkins and for one season was a defensive coach at Florida International. Islands was 1-9 in its first varsity season.

*Johnson of Savannah hired former Savannah assistant David Jackson to replace Thomas Tedder, who was 7-14 in two seasons. Jackson was a P.E. teacher at Johnson last season. He was at Savannah from 2009 to 2012. Tedder is now an assistant at Jenkins.

Region 2

*Kendrick hired Cedric Ware to replace Jerry Dukes, who retired. Ware, 31, is a Columbus native (Hardaway graduate) who has spent most of his career coaching at local middle schools. His first job was at Opelika High in Alabama. Dukes was 22-51 in seven seasons. Kendrick's 17-16 record from 2012 to 2014 is the best three-year run since 1995-97.

*Spencer hired Carver of Columbus offensive coordinator Pierre Coffey to replace Calvin Arnold. Coffey coached at Carver for four seasons. Before that, he was an assistant at Greenville under Jeremy Williams, including the 11-1 season of 2009 in which Williams, stricken with ALS, was named NHSCA national coach of the year. Under Arnold, Spencer was 5-5 and 1-9. Spencer has not had a winning season since 1977. Arnold has since joined Carver's staff.

Region 3

*Hephzibah hired Macon County linebackers coach William Harrell to replace John Bowen, who took the Cross Keys job. Harrell had followed Larry Harold to Brunswick, working there in spring practice, before getting the Hephzibah job in early June. Harrell was offensive coordinator at Butler (2008) and defensive coordinator at Hephzibah (2009-13) before going to Macon County.

*Laney promoted defensive line coach and 12-year assistant Rodney McFadden to replace Lemuel Lackey, who took the Evans job. McFadden has coached both sides of the ball and was Laney's head JV coach for nine seasons. Laney has gone 14 seasons without a losing record.

Region 4

*Washington hired Inman Middle School head coach Derrick Avery to replace Rodney Hackney, who remained as athletics director. Avery, an Atlanta native and Crim graduate, has been an assistant for region championship teams at Washington (1997), Mays (2003) and North Clayton (2008). Washington was 24-17 under Hackney, 4-6 last season.

Region 5

*Pepperell hired Eastside coach Rick Hurst to replace Jeff Shiflett, who was 56-35 in eight seasons, 3-7 in 2014. Hurst was 66-46 in 10 seasons at Eastside, making him the winningest coach in Newton County history. Eastside made the Class AAA semifinals in 2009. Hurst also has been an assistant coach at Central Gwinnett, Ware County, Wheeler and Americus. Shiflett, a Pepperell alumnus, is now an assistant at Coosa.

*Haralson County hired Frank Vohun, its coach from 2005 to 2009, to replace Alan Lane, who was 11-29 in four seasons. Vohun is 122-98 in 19 seasons as a Georgia head coach. He led Washington-Wilkes to the 2000 Class AA final and Villa Rica to the 1991 Class AAA semifinals. Vohun worked a year as LaFayette's defensive coordinator in 2010 but has been out of coaching since. Lane now coaches at Rhea County in Tennessee.

Region 6

*Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe hired Notre Dame (Tenn.) defensive coordinator Bo Campbell to replace Todd Windham, whose teams were 30-51 in four seasons, 3-7 in 2014. Campbell was an assistant for five seasons at Lakeview and remained on faculty the past three academic years while working at Notre Dame. He also has coached at Father Ryan, St. Jude Catholic and Chattanooga Central in his native Tennessee. Windham remains a teacher at LFO.

Region 7

*Dawson County hired former Lambert head coach Sid Maxwell to replace Jeff Lee, who took a head coaching job at North Bay Haven Charter Academy in Panama City, Fla. Maxwell's record is 133-75 in 20 seasons at Sequoyah and Lambert.

Region 8