Updated: Brunswick’s Pender takes North Hall job; Seckinger hires first coach

High school football: Cedar Grove tops North Hall in Class AAA playoffs

High school football: Cedar Grove tops North Hall in Class AAA playoffs

North Hall on Friday announced the hiring of Sean Pender, who was Stetson Bennett’s high school football coach and led Brunswick to its first 10-win season this century in 2021.

Seckinger, the newest school in Gwinnett County, hired Loganville offensive coordinator Aaron Hill in a move approved Thursday evening. He was on Grayson’s staff during the 2020 Class 7A championship season.

Pender and Hill are the 30th and 31st football coaches hired by GHSA teams this offseason. There have been 56 openings.

In another recent hire, Meadowcreek took on Collins Hill assistant head coach and passing game coordinator Todd Wofford. Wofford was Central Gwinnett’s head coach 2010 to 2019.

Pender had been at Brunswick for five seasons. His teams were 35-21 overall and 11-1 with a Region 2-6A championship this past season.

Pender also has been head coach at Pierce County, Crisp County and Brantley County. He was the head coach of two University of Georgia starters in the national championship game victory over Alabama. Bennett played for Pender at Pierce County, and tackle Warren McClendon played for him at Brunswick.

North Hall was 6-5 last season under David Bishop, who had guided the Trojans since 2014. North Hall has made the playoffs each of the past seven seasons but hasn’t gone past the second round since 2012.

Below are the 56 reported openings and 31 hires. A typical offseason will see as many as 90-100 openings and hires.

ACE Charter: Sam Zenders (Hired Keith Hatcher)

Adairsville: Erc Bishop (Hired Jonathan Cudd)

Archer: Andy Dyer

B.E.S.T. Academy: Josh Moore

Bacon County: Keith Gosse (Hired Mark Wilson)

Berkmar: Willie Gary

Brookstone: Blair Harrison (Hired Rance Gillespie)

Brunswick: Sean Pender

Colquitt County: Justin Rodgers (Hired Sean Calhoun)

Cook: Jamie Rodgers (Hired Byron Slack)

East Paulding: Billy Shackelford (Hired Chris Hirschfield)

Gainesville: Heath Webb (Hired Josh Niblett)

Greene County: Larry Milligan (Hired Terrence Banks)

Greenville: Tyler Wynn

Groves: James Latimore

Harris County: Jamie Fox

Hart County: Rance Gillespie (Hired Cory Dickerson)

Heritage-Conyers: Eddie Snell

Houston County: Ryan Crawford (Hired Jeremy Edwards)

Jasper County: Aaron Pitts (Hired Ashley Henderson)

Jefferson: Gene Cathcart

Jordan: Dale Overton

Kell: Brett Sloan (Hired Bobby May)

Kendrick: Andre Slappey

Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe: Bo Campbell

Lanier: David Willingham

Locust Grove: Mark Miller

Lumpkin County: Caleb Sorrells (Hired Heath Webb)

McIntosh: Lee Belknap (Hired Derek Smith)

Meadowcreek: Terrance Banks (Hired Todd Wofford)

Midtown: Kevin Clark

Milton: Adam Clack (Hired Ben Reaves)

Mount de Sales: Keith Hatcher (Hired Gray Yates)

Mundy’s Mill: Dewayne Davis (Hired Earthwind Moreland)

Murray County: Chadwick Brewer

North Hall: David Bishop (Hired Sean Pender)

Ola: Ryan Angel

Pace Academy: Chris Slade

Paulding County: Van Spence (Hired Umbrah Brown)

Peachtree Ridge: Reggie Stancil

Pelham: Lamar Landing

Rabun County: Jaybo Shaw (Hired Michael Davis)

Ridegland: Kip Klein (Hired Craig Pritchett)

Seckinger: New school (Hired Aaron Hill)

Stratford Academy: Mark Farriba (Hired Chance Jones)

Sumter County: Ross Couch

Taylor County: Robert Yevak (Hired Brandon Byram)

Temple: Scotty Ward (Hired Cory Nix)

Thomas County Central: Ashley Henderson (Hired Justin Rogers)

Tucker: James Thomson

Turner County: Kevious Johnson

Washington County: Joel Ingram

Wayne County: Ken Cribb (Hired Jaybo Shaw)

Westlake: Bobby May

White County: Tim Cokely (Hired Chad Bennett)

Woodland-Cartersville: Tony Plott (Hired Brandon Haywood)