New coaches in A Private: Move to Fellowship keeps McFarlin near home

Hardest to replace: Mark Hollars, North Cobb Christian

Best job: Fellowship Christian

Toughest job: Our Lady of Mercy

Most interesting: Tim McFarlin has spent his entire coaching career in north Fulton County, where he grew up, and his surprise departure from Blessed Trinity in January won’t change that. He’s now at Fellowship Christian, about a mile and a half from Blessed Trinity, where McFarlin led the Titans to state titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Before all that, McFarlin spent about 30 years at Roswell High, which is about 1.2 miles from Fellowship, and won a state title as head coach there in 2006. The Milton High graduate will be asked to do what he did at Roswell and Blessed Trinity – take an already-successful program to the next level.

Region 1

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Region 2

*Landmark Christian hired Westminster (Fla.) coach Tommy Lewis to replace Mike Sherrard. Lewis, a head coach for 21 seasons, has won five state titles, four while at Hilton Head Christian Academy in the South Carolina Independent School Association and a fifth in 2014 with Victory Christian in Florida’s Class 2A. A William & Mary graduate, he also has been a head coach in Virginia at Greenbrier Christian. His Westminster teams were 17-23 in four seasons. Former coach Sherrard is no longer coaching but is CEO of ScoreCelebStuff, a portal to sell celebrities’ used items for charity.

*Our Lady of Mercy hired Chapel Hill offensive coordinator Shawn Cahill to replace Mark Miller, who became head coach at Locust Grove. Cahill was head coach at West Forsyth the three previous seasons, compiling a 17-16 record. A North Dakota native, Cahill also has coached at Lanier, Duluth, Newton and Santa Margarita in California. Mercy will play eight-man football in the GAPPS this season with the goal of returning to a GHSA region schedule in 2022, Cahill says.

Region 3

*Savannah Country Day hired Bishop Verot (Fla.) coach John Mohring to replace Jim Collis, who remained as athletic director. Mohring’s Bishop Verot team was 6-5 in his only season as head coach. He was defensive coordinator on Class 3A quarterfinalists in 2018 and 2019. Mohring is a former Georgia Southern linebacker who played in the CFL and Arena League and made the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ training camp. He’s also coached at Valdosta State, Arkansas State and Tusculum. Country Day originally promoted offensive coordinator Tyler Ward to the position, but Ward, stating family reasons, resigned in April after three months. Country Day was 3-6 last season after winning a Region 3 title in 2019.

Region 4

*Heritage of Newnan hired its athletic director and middle school head coach, Jake Copeland, to replace Micah Alba. Copeland, a Newnan native and Northgate graduate, is a former college assistant at Lenoir-Rhyne and Jacksonville. He was on Heritage’s staff in 2015-16, and was head coach during spring practice, and joined Heritage’s staff last season as A.D. Alba is now on Villa Rica’s staff.

Region 5

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Region 6

*Fellowship Christian hired Blessed Trinity coach Tim McFarlin to replace Al Morrell, who retired after a 40-year coaching career. McFarlin’s career record is 194-52-2 with state titles at Roswell (2006) and Blessed Trinity (2017-19). Those schools and Fellowship, also in Roswell, are only a few miles apart. Fellowship was 10-1 last season and reached the Class A Private quarterfinals, losing to Trinity Christian. Fellowship was 66-26 in eight seasons under Morrell.

Region 7

*North Cobb Christian hired Lanier offensive coordinator Matt Jones to replace Mark Hollars, who became head coach at Commerce. Jones, a McEachern graduate and former Georgia walk-on punt snapper, also has coached at Buford, Pope and Lumpkin County. He was at Lanier for five seasons. He is a first cousin of fellow Georgia head coaches Philip Jones of Brookwood and Tommy Jones of Cherokee Bluff. North Cobb Christian was 0-10 in Hollars’ first season in 2016 but 30-15 thereafter.

*Walker hired Southside (Gadsden, Ala.) coach Gary Nelson to replace interim coach Red Dobbins. Nelson’s Southside team was 7-4 in his only season as head coach. He was coach for four previous seasons at Montgomery Academy, where his teams were 30-16. Walker was 1-9 last season, during which it parted ways with coach Michael Gunn in mid-October. Dobbins remains on Walker’s staff.

Region 8

*Athens Christian hired Clarke Central quarterbacks coach and former Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Rickey Bustle to replace Chris Williams. Bustle, 67, began his coaching career in 1979 and was Louisiana-Lafayette’s coach from 2002 to 2010. His team won the Sun Belt Conference title in 2005. A South Carolina native and former Clemson player, Bustle got into high school coaching in 2015 as Prince Avenue Christian’s offensive coordinator. Athens Christian was 36-38 in seven seasons under Williams, who is now Greene County’s wide receivers coach.

*George Walton Academy hired Mount Paran Christian offensive coordinator Logan Beer to replace Shane Davis. Beer worked at Mount Paran for eight seasons, including the 2014 Class A private-school championship campaign, and previously assisted at Lanier. George Walton was 9-3 last season and reached the Class A Private quarterfinals but later forfeited six of its victories because of an ineligible player. Davis, who was not linked to that violation, has left coaching and now works full-time in a painting company that he owns.

Coming Wednesday: Class A Public

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