There are 62 head coaches in Georgia who are new at their schools this season. Here are six who are doing especially well in the new jobs:
Thomas Cox, Lakeside (DeKalb): Because Lakeside remains no real threat to make the playoffs, few outside of DeKalb County will notice how much better this team is. The Vikings beat Columbia 21-7. Columbia had beaten Lakeside 70-7 the year before. Lakeside also beat North Springs 45-0 after losing to the Spartans 33-6 last year. Even the defeats - falling to Chamblee 16-6 rather than 42-0 - are easier to take for a team that was 0-10 in 2008.
Dante Ferguson, Stone Mountain: Ferguson is 4-1 at a school that was 1-4 last season. That's despite being hired in summer, too late to conduct spring practice. Ferguson had been coaching at a middle school, so he was familiar with many of the players. Ferguson played at Vanderbilt and had coached at several DeKalb and Atlanta schools. Stone Mountain plays Lakeside Friday.
Rocky Hidalgo, Walton: Hidalgo, longtime assistant to Ed Dudley, was promoted and has Walton 5-0. That's the same as Dudley had the Raiders, but this was not a Walton team that was projected to repeat as Region 6-AAAAA champion, especially after star defensive end Brandon Burrows was lost for the season with an ACL injury. Also note that in 2008, none of the 17 first-year coaches who inherited teams with eight or more victories exceeded the win total of his predecessor. Hidalgo has a chance.
Sheddrick Risper, Westside (Macon): One of the more controversial hires of the off-season was the selection of middle school coach Risper to replace Robert Davis, second all-time in victories in Georgia history. Fans took sides among three candidates. Westside also graduated a handful of all-state players, but the team is 6-0, and the fans are united for now. Westside is fourth in scoring offense (36.5) and third in scoring defense (6.0) in AAAA.
Mark Stroud, Benedictine: Stroud replaced the retiring Bob Herndon and has the Cadets 5-1, matching last season's victory total. Stroud was Benedictine's defensive coordinator who also has been an assistant at Richmond Hill and Claxton.
Brad Waggoner, Chattooga: After going through three head coaches last season, the Indians believe they've found their man in Waggoner, who had been a head coach in Alabama. Chattooga is 5-0 compared to 3-2 a year ago. A big test comes tonight, when Chattooga faces No. 1 Calhoun in a Region 7-AA game.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
