Number of hires: 8

Best hire: Tim McFarlin, Fellowship Christian

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.

*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.

*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.

*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.

*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.

*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

1. What will last year's team be remembered for, and what was its legacy? “Although the school is 40 years old, the football program had its first varsity football season in 2005, and we had never won a state championship in football, nor any team sport for that matter. Being the first team to win a state championship at our school was awesome, not just for our team but for the school and community.

2. What do you have coming back this season? What's the scouting report? “We have 70 players on the roster, but only one started on offense, guard Will Frost, but we do have five starters back on defense led by linebacker Luke Lanier, defensive linemen Uriah Howard and Ethan Garner and defensive backs Bailey Stockton and Josh Britt. We will be inexperienced, youthful but talented. The schedule is loaded with top teams – seven made the playoffs, two the semifinals - and we will have our hands full in the pre-region schedule. I believe we will have been battle-tested by the time region play starts, and we should be ready to make another strong run.”

3. Big cleats to fill at QB. Who's the new guy, and what are his strengths and weaknesses? “Brock moved down the street to UGA having thrown for 10K worth of yards and a basket worth of TDs. However, he proved his leadership by going to pick up his successor every morning before school at 6:15 to get him to understand that to be the starting QB on a highly ranked team, you must pay the price, and that payment begins in the weight room. Aaron Philo got up every morning and went in with Brock to learn what a strong work ethic looks like and how it creates a culture that many schools do not have but ours does. Brock started doing this as a seventh-grader at Woodward Academy and continued at Prince Avenue, and he shared this with Aaron Philo, who helped influence 28 players to come in before school today and get extra work in because that is what it takes to be more than average. Aaron is accurate and a competitor. He wants to win and is a diligent learner. His strengths are understanding what we are trying to accomplish and competitiveness. His weakness is inexperience, but we did have a ton of success this summer in seven-on-seven. The offense will not change a ton, but we will curtail it towards his strengths. The backup is talented Zach Hill, a wonderful young man that works hard and could step in and help lead if necessary.”

4. How do you see Class A Private playing out this season? “Although we are the reigning champs, I still believe the road to the championship goes through McDonough and ELCA. They still are very talented, and it took a talented team led by a five-star QB to unseat them last year. I believe Trinity will be very good and then the usual suspects. We keep getting better and better coaches joining the ranks as former Blessed Trinity head coach Tim McFarlin took the Fellowship Christian job. Again, I have now been here for five seasons and know that most of the top four-six teams can play with many other classifications' teams.”

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Greater Georgia Basketball Officials, one of the leading GHSA officials organizations, assigns officials to more than 25 high schools in the state. Our group is comprised of dedicated and professional men and women looking to give back to the game of basketball. If you are interested in joining Greater Georgia (GGBO), please contact Mike Oglesby via email by clicking here or by mail at Greater Georgia Basketball Officials, 3770 Cliff Crest Drive, S.E., Smyrna, GA 30080.

Mike Tierney, a former longtime sports editor and writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has drawn from his experiences as a basketball coach in the Decatur school system to write the sports teen fiction book "Perfect To A Fault" about a high school player who goes through an entire season without missing a shot. Mike now coaches at Notre Dame High in the Los Angeles area, where he briefly worked with Ziaire Williams, the No. 10 pick in the NBA draft. Order the book by clicking here.

Georgia Storm Prep Academy, named for owner and head coach Storm Johnson (a former UCF standout and NFL running back), is a pre- and post-graduate football program. The program includes a complete academic program with NCAA approved classes, athletic training and competitions against other Prep programs and JUCOs to gain additional exposure. We will provide the best opportunity for student-athletes to grow and mature within athletics, education, and life skills while in attendance. For information, call 678-346-8144 or contact us via email by clicking here.

Locust Grove High School is in need of an assistant varsity basketball coach, head JV/varsity assistant coach, and a wide receivers coach for varsity football. We currently have two math positions, one social studies position and one special education position available. If interested, please contact athletic director Stephen Phillips via email by clicking here.

Rome High School is accepting applications for the position of head girls basketball coach. All applicants must be a Georgia certified teacher and have head coaching experience at the collegiate or high school level. Please submit cover letter, resume, and references via email to athletic director Chris Boden by clicking here.

Thomasville High School is currently looking for a scrimmage (preferably at home) this Friday, Aug. 13. If interested, please contact head coach Zach Grage via email by clicking here.

Westlake High School is looking for football coaches. A second sport is available as well. SEC, math, engineering and Spanish as well as paraprofessional positions available. Need to move ASAP. For more information, contact coach Robert May via email by clicking here.