The Southern Alamance Patriots’ football program will now be led by Jonathan Hester, an alum of the school.

Hester was officially hired yesterday and announced to the players today, he informed HighSchoolOT.

The class of 2016 graduate returned to the Patriots in 2020 to coach in the football program. He has been an offensive line coach, defensive linc coach, and JV head coach.

Southern Alamance’s JV team finished with a 9-1 overall and as conference champions under Hester in the fall.

He’ll take over for Tony McCants, who led the Patriots for a season after the departure of Fritz Hessenthaler, who led the team from 2018-23. McCants left Southern in January so he could have a closer drive to home.

Southern Alamance’s varsity team is coming off of a 7-4 finish in 2024. The Patriots fell on the road at Cape Fear in overtime in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A East playoffs.

With an average daily membership of 1,218 students this school year, Southern Alamance will become a 6A program once the NCHSAA realigns into eight classifications.

The Patriots have been placed in the new Mid-Carolina 4A/5A/6A Conference with 4As Cummings and Graham, 5As Eastern Alamance, Person, Southeast Alamance, and Western Alamance, as well as with fellow 6A Williams.