Welcome to The Huddle and Happy New Year! It’s great to have you back.

This week, my focus is on coaching changes, following up on last week’s discussion. In the previous edition, I shared potential candidates who could potentially move from assistant to head coach, as well as current head coaches who may transition to bigger schools.

I have compiled a list of my top five desired positions for a head coaching role. This does not imply that the other available positions are not valuable, but these specific ones offer distinctive elements that are not commonly found in job openings.

In addition, I categorized the new coaches from last season based on their teams’ performance. Lastly, I have an early preview of the programs that will need to find replacements for their long-standing, accomplished quarterbacks next season (and potential solutions).

Can you reword this

1st Down: Ranking the top 5 opportunities for head coaching jobs

Take a look at the verified list of available head coaching positions.

1. Richmond

This school and program is the ideal opportunity that countless coaches aspire to when entering the world of high school football coaching.

Reworded: Throughout its impressive history, Richmond has emerged as the victor in seven state championship competitions. Being the only school in the county, they are not required to vie for incoming ninth graders. Additionally, there is speculation that the position offers one of the higher salaries in North Carolina.

One downside of assuming control of a program with a significant background, such as Richmond’s, could be the high expectations that come along with it. The Raiders have a large and devoted fanbase that anticipates the team to compete for a state title every year. It is likely that Till felt the weight of this pressure, particularly towards the end of his time at Richmond.

Recently, Till has been defending the Raiders due to a lack of talent compared to their 2019 team, which was exceptional. Despite winning 10 games in 2021, that team was not on the same level.

Maybe the recent graduating classes have been unusual. It’s possible they indicate a pattern that will persist in a county undergoing change.

Having considered all of the aforementioned points, it is evident that this is the main task of the offseason.

2. Ballantyne Ridge

Having the chance to initiate a 4A program from the beginning is always a fantastic opportunity, especially when it’s in Charlotte.

Ballantyne Ridge is scheduled to open in August, drawing primarily from students in Ardrey Kell, Providence, South Mecklenburg, and some of Myers Park’s designated attendance zones. These schools have a history of achievement. The majority of students are expected to come from the Ardrey Kell area, which is a positive indicator as the school has a strong track record of consistency.

Based on the area the school is being built in to, my guess is that the school will have a community that benefits from proficient finances. Of course, it will also have terrific new facilities from the jump.

One major benefit (for individuals with OCD concerns regarding branding): the head football coach will have a significant impact in creating a uniform appearance for both the sports program and the entire school. That is quite impressive.

I anticipate that Ballantyne Ridge will choose a youthful and enthusiastic coach who is motivated to achieve long-term success.

3. Martin County

To review, the two high schools (Riverside and South Creek) in Martin County, located in Eastern North Carolina, combined their sports programs and are now referred to as Martin teams.

Similar to Richmond, the county is now solely represented by one team. Asim McGill, the former head coach of Riverside, has taken on the role of athletics director for the district and is committed to developing a thriving program at Martin. The school district has done an impressive job of securing financial support for this new position. Additionally, it appears that they plan to make significant investments in their assistant coaches.

Just like Ballantyne Ridge, this position offers the chance to create something new. A coach can leave their mark on a brand new program like this.

4. Pisgah

Like Richmond, Pisgah has also had a great deal of achievement in its football program throughout history and has a set of standards to uphold.

Pisgah has won in four state championship games. It has one of the state’s best stadiums in the Pigash Memorial Stadium. The fans in the community of Canton, N.C. are extremely passionate.

I was surprised to see a coach step down after a successful 9-3 season, especially considering the unusual challenges he had to overcome.

The rivalry between Pisgah and Tuscola is widely disliked in the state. Despite a long period of victories over Tuscola, Pisgah has recently faced back-to-back losses to their opponent. The community expects the next coach to reverse this trend. Nevertheless, the chance to coach and win against Tuscola is a dream for many high school football coaches.

I am interested to see how the talent pool will shift in the upcoming years as the Canton community continues to feel the impact of the mill shutting down. The closure resulted in over 1,000 job losses. While there are significant economic concerns related to this event, I am particularly intrigued to observe its impact on the community’s highly regarded football team.

5. Southern Alamance

This is an interesting one. A day before Southern Alamance played in its first round playoff game, news came out that Fritz Hessenthaler had been removed as the school’s head coach.

I confirmed that Chris Miller stepped in as the interim leader of the program. Despite the situation, the team performed admirably towards the end. The players put in a lot of effort for Miller and the remaining staff. The Patriots made it to the fourth round of the 3A East playoffs, but unfortunately lost to eventual state runner-up Seventy-First.

This position is appealing due to the reliability of the program’s success. The Patriots have achieved a winning record for the past six seasons.

I am uncertain about how the recent opening of Southeast Alamance will impact Southern Alamance. Seniors who were already attending Southern and Eastern Alamance were able to remain at their original school for this semester. However, in the upcoming year, it is likely that the senior classes at the two original schools will decrease in quality. Southeast Alamance achieved the third round of the 2A playoffs this season, which is the furthest a first-year program has ever reached.

Second Down: A summary of the performance of first-year coaches in 2023.

This autumn, nearly 100 new head coaches were hired in the state. While some had a strong season with a talented group of players, others demonstrated their ability to lay a foundation for success. However, a handful of coaches have already departed from their teams. It’s important to note that these situations are not all identical.

A summary:

Made the Playoffs

• Justin Hardin, A.L. Brown (Kannapolis)
• Darius Wesson, Bertie (Windsor)

• Mark Holcomb is a member of the faculty at Bishop McGuinness in Kernersville.

• Enrest Sutton, Camden County (Camden)

• Dustin Martin from Cannon School located in Concord.

• Leon Moore, Carver (Winston-Salem)
• Jon McIntosh, Central Davidson (Lexington)
• Matt Reilly, Charlotte Catholic
• Chris James, Charlotte Christian
• Breon Holmes, Cox Mill (Concord)
• Duke Howell, Cuthbertson (Waxhaw)
• Kelly Davis, Dixon (Holly Ridge)
• Philip Russ, East Rutherford (Forest City)
• Travis Walker, East Wilkes (Ronda)
• Tim Bagamary, Eastern Guilford (Gibsonville)
• Deron Donald, Garner
• Brent Wooten, Havelock
• Ronald Gatling, Hertford County (Ahoksie)
• Torrey Nowell, Hillside (Durham)
• DeShawn Baker, Hough (Cornelius)
• Jason Seidel, Jay M. Robinson (Concord)
• Antonio King, Jordan (Durham)
• , and

  Herron Strait, Kings Mountain, and

• Jaden Angle, Lincolnton
• Laymarr Marshall, Millbrook
• Chris James, Myers Park (Charlotte)
• Terrance Saxy, New Bern
• Josh Sophia, North Rowan (Spencer)
• Chad Little, North Stanly (New London)
• Chris Rusiewicz, Northwest Guilford (Greensboro)
• Mitch Johnson, Northwood (Pittsboro)
• Rob Creason, Oak Grove (Winston-Salem)
• Dustin Fry, Polk County (Columbus)
• David Hayes, Providence Grove (Climax)
• Josh Deese, Purnell Swett (Pembroke)
• Jim Gibbons, Ravenscroft (Raleigh)
• Erik Teague, Reidsville
• Ranier Rackley, Rolesville
• Josh Smith, Rosewood (Goldsboro)
• Greg Greene, South Garner
• Tony Aguilar, Southeast Alamance (Haw River)
• Fred Blanks, Southern Lee (Sanford)
• Greg Lloyd, Starmount (Boonville)
• Bear Bradley, Trinity
• Jonathan Crompton, Tuscola (Waynesville)
• Mark Oates, Union (Rose Hill)
• Kevin Wallace, West Forsyth (Clemmons)
• Jimmy Upchurch, West Stokes (King)

Missed the Playoffs

• Calvin Brown, Asheboro
• Johmar Barringer, Atkins (Winston-Salem)
• Paul Cornwell, Ayden-Grifton (Ayden)
• Antwain Cook, Bartlett-Yancey (Yanceyville)
• Montis Lash, Ben L. Smith (Greensboro)
• Tom McGuire, Broughton (Raleigh)
• Andre Davis, Bunn
• Brent Bailey, Cedar Ridge (Hillsborough)
• Drew Dayton, Charlotte Latin
• Martin Samek, Corinth Holders (Archer Lodge)

• Colton Brackett from East Henderson, also known as East Flat Rock.

• Travis Hairston, East Wake (Wendell)
• Antonio Wallace, E.E. Smith (Fayetteville)
• Jeremy Carthen, Fairmont
• Josh Williams, Garinger (Charlotte)
• Ben Woolf, Green Level (Cary)
• JT Stone, Harding (Charlotte)
• Chuck Doak, High Point Central
• Jimmy White, Highland Tech (Gastonia)
• Keionte Gainey, J.F. Webb (Oxford)
• Zach Sellars, Jones (Trenton)
• Nazair Jones, Kipp GCP Pride (Gaston)

• Matt Montroy from Lake Norman Charter does not participate in the postseason.

• Dennis McFatten, Lumberton
• Bobby Martin, Morehead (Eden)
• Saiid Murphy, North Edgecombe (Leggett)
• Larry Dale, North Lenoir (Wheat Swamp)
• Derrick Sharpe, Parkland (Winston-Salem)
• Sam Mobley, Parkwood (Roughedge)
• Ryan Goggio, Patton (Morganton)
• Joe Davidyock, R.J. Reynolds (Winston-Salem)
• Tyrea Allen, Rosman
• Chris Cherry, South Central (Winterville)
• Lee Linville, South Iredell (Statesville)

• Terry Shankle, from South Stanly High School in Norwood.

• Justin Rogers, South Stokes (Walnut Cove)
• Matt Hine, Southern Wayne (Dudley)
• Jamie Hicks, Thomas Jefferson Classical (Mooresboro)
• Matt Taylor, Washington
• Ben James, Washington County (Plymouth)
• Shane Handy, West Brunswick (Shallotte)
• Brian Hinson, West Cabarrus (Concord)
• Michael James, Western Harnett (Barbecue)

• Chuck Cannon from Wilkes Central in Wilkesboro

I will not be coming back to the program.

• Mike Sartain, Martin County (Williamston)
• Hancel Phipps, Smithfield-Selma (Smithfield)
• Rodney Boykin, Southern Guilford (Greensboro)
• Justin Allred, Wakefield (Raleigh)

On the third down, schools are preparing to replace their long-standing quarterbacks.

It can be difficult when a starting quarterback who has been playing for multiple years graduates. There are several schools whose talented quarterbacks will be graduating next season. Here are a few that come to mind:

A.C. Reynolds

Hayden Craig, a talented left-handed passer, began receiving playing time for the Rockets during his second year on the team. Throughout his time with the team, he threw for a total of 4,150 yards and scored 51 touchdowns, with only eight interceptions. Ely Hamrick, a 6-foot-4 quarterback from IMG Academy, has recently declared his transfer to Reynolds. Hamrick, currently a sophomore, has allegedly received an offer from the University of Toledo.

Hertford County

Hertford County will face a significant gap at the quarterback position after losing Keveon Rodgers. Throughout his career, Rodgers recorded over 5,500 passing yards, 72 touchdowns, and nearly 3,000 rushing yards and 56 touchdowns.

Hoggard

Hudson Wilharm, a tall and precise quarterback, will be bringing his impressive 34 ACT score to a prestigious university. The Vikings may have found a solution to their loss of Wilharm. Freshman quarterback Matthew Boring stepped in and led the Vikings to victory in a playoff game. He completed 14 out of 17 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Holly Springs

Joel Sheehan, who started in the East-West All-Star Game, was an effective quarterback for the Golden Hawks over the last two seasons. There is excitement for the next quarterback, Kaleb Williams. Williams has some nice athletic upside and a promising arm.

Marvin Ridge

Evan Medders, who pledged to the Air Force, has had impressive statistics as the team’s starting quarterback since his sophomore year. He accumulated more than 5,000 passing yards and threw 45 touchdowns, while also rushing for over 2,000 yards and scoring 27 touchdowns. The details of the replacement strategy are currently unknown.

Millbrook

The Wildcats need to find a replacement for their record-breaking quarterback Mason Fortune. Having been a starter since his second year, Fortune accumulated 10,420 yards and 106 touchdowns throughout his highly successful career. The team’s upcoming sophomore quarterback Bryson Gray, who excels at both passing and running, will be taking over.

Northwest Cabarrus

In the spring of 2021, Alex Walker became the leader of the Trojans’ offense as a freshman, despite the challenges of the Covid season. Throughout his career, Walker maintained control of the offense and accumulated 7,844 passing yards and 74 touchdowns. He was a successful player, contributing to Northwest Cabarrus’ 25-16 record during his tenure at the school.

Providence Day

Substituting a highly rated quarterback should be simple, correct? Perhaps for Providence Day. After Jadyn Davis moves on to play for the Michigan Wolverines, the focus shifts to upcoming junior Zaid Lott, who has caught the interest of numerous college recruiters. Lott has received an offer from the nearby UNC-Charlotte.

Reidsville

Al Lee ended his career on a high note. Reidsville will have a clear solution for the position for the upcoming year. In his final year at Reidsville, Johnniyus Sharpe, a senior, excelled as a quarterback at Cummings before switching to Reidsville over the summer.

Tarboro

Omar Lewis will now be playing as a defensive back at East Carolina, after excelling as the quarterback for the Tarboro T offense since his second year. Mastering this offense can be challenging for a quarterback. It will be intriguing to see if Tarboro will choose to use a different athlete for the position or opt for a less dynamic, but efficient, player.

Weddington

After two years as a starter, Tyler Budge is departing from Weddington High School as a state champion. The team is considering bringing in Greg Fee, a tall and strong-armed quarterback, as a potential replacement for Budge. Fee would serve as a temporary senior quarterback while the team’s junior defensive players gain more experience.

Source: highschoolot.com