Gainesville, East Paulding and Thomas County Central will have new football coaches next season.
Gainesville is parting ways with Heath Webb, the school announced Wednesday morning. Webb’s teams were 18-25 in four seasons and finished 5-5 in 2021. Gainesville missed the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
Gainesville’s move to Class 7A in 2021 made things more challenging as the Red Elephants hadn’t been in the highest classification since 1965 and were in Class 3A school when their playoff streak began in 2000. Gainesville will move down to Class 6A in 2022.
“While change is never easy, we look ahead with excitement about what the future holds,” Gainesville athlete director Adam Lindsey said. “Our goal remains the same, and that’s to put Gainesville back among the premier football programs in the state.”
East Paulding’s Billy Shackelford stepped down Wednesday morning. East Paulding was 23-29 in five seasons under Shackelford. The Raiders won a playoff game in 2018 and had a winning season in 2020 but fell to 2-8 this season.
Thomas County Central’s Ashley Henderson was 19-22 in four seasons, 5-6 in 2021. A state power in the 1990s, Thomas Central hasn’t advanced past the second round since 2009.
Those three bring to 20 the number of reported coaching changes this offseason.
7A - Gainesville
6A - East Paulding, Heritage (Conyers), Houston County, Kell
5A - Locust Grove, McIntosh, Midtown, Wayne County
4A - Ridgeland, Seckinger, Thomas County Central
3A - Sumter County, Lumpkin County
2A - Bacon County, Jasper County, Temple
A - B.E.S.T. Academy, Greene County, Taylor County
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