They’ve been doing things the same way at St. Pius for more than 20 years. Don’t expect that to change just because there’s a new man running the program.
Chad Garrison, who has coached the offensive line at the school since 2000, was promoted to head coach when Paul Standard, the winningest coach in school history (174-72, eight region championships) took the job at Gilmer High School. Standard’s final team went 9-2.
“I felt like it was my opportunity to step into some big shoes,” Garrison said. “There’s that old line where you don’t want to follow a legend, but I think I’m the right guy to take over the reins. I’ve been blessed with a great opportunity and great kids, great parents and great community support.”
Garrison is a DeKalb County kid who graduated from Redan. His transformation into the head coaching position will be made easier by the presence of 27 seniors on the roster. Most of them either started or got major playing time. Like most programs, the Golden Lions are looking for depth on both sides of the line.
And they won’t been asked to learn anything new. St. Pius will continue to run the option and do everything the same on defense, too.
“We’ve had great success over the last 20 years, so we plan to keep doing those things,” Garrison said. “I think it gives us an advantage for our kids. We don’t have a lot of linemen who are 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, but we have linemen who will come off the ball and do a great job staying on defenders. It helps us. It’s an equalizer for us.”
Among the top players returning are: Jacob Hull, who will play offensive and defensive line; Austin Taylor, who plays safety and halfback; Alex Possert, the returning quarterback; Luke Jacobellis, a fullback and linebacker; and Jack Tchienchou, a halfback and defensive back; and James Kirkland, a receiver and defensive back.
The St. Pius staff has spent a lot of time building depth over the summer. Garrison has now seen how players react under pressure after the first scrimmage.
“We’re going to use our first four games to find out which kids can play so when we get to our first region game against Northview, we’ll know who who’ve got on our two-deep roster,” he said. “Our goals never change. The first one is to compete for a region championship. That’s going to be very tough in Region 5,”
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