Central Georgia coaching carousel: Chambless to ACE (with other ACE moves, including former Mercer women's BKBer Carter); Jasper County has a new FB boss; Northside has comings and goings

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          So much for a quiet first few months of 2021 at ACE.

          The school’s latest athletics hire is a notable one.

More coaching moves coming Tuesday, only in The Sports Report

          Matt Chambless had a mighty successful decade at Covenant, serving as the girls head coach and boys head coach as well as athletics director pretty much the whole time.

          Now, he’s making the move from the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools to the GHSA, taking over the boys program at ACE.

          The school posted a Facebook item on it on April 21, and Chambless bid farewell with a tweet on Saturday.

          He succeeds Tam Smith, who will remain at ACE as a teacher and a soccer coach.

          Chambless worked with ACE athletics director – and softball and baseball coach Josh McLendon – at Central Fellowship. Chambless is a CFCA grad who graduated from Pensacola Christian College in 2000, and coached at Providence Christian School in Riverview, Fla. for six seasons, interned at South Florida for a year, and came back home to CFCA for three years.

          At Covenant, he won GAPPS state titles in girls and boys in 2019, en route to 362 wins as a varsity head coach. He led the Rams to four Final Fours and seven Elite Eights.

          At CFCA, he coached the girls team for a year and went 33-5, while also coaching the boys.

          “I am really excited about it,” McLendon said in an email. “Matt is a great coach and person. We went to high school together and worked together at CFCA for a few years.

“I believe he is a great hire for ACE. I know he will do great things for our basketball program, but he will also be a great mentor to the young men in his program.”

He’ll be the second Chambless on staff. Wife Leah teaches kindergarten at ACE.

Chambless is only the latest addition to the athletics staff at ACE.

Former Mercer women’s basketball standout Jordanna Carter – known as JoJo in her days as a point guard for the Bears – became a full-timer at ACE in January, taking over as volleyball coach, following Terri Owens.

          Carter was athletics director and coach at her alma mater, Echols County.

Owens will assist cross country, where Lee Anne Walter was promoted from assistant to head coach, succeeding Mitchel Wachtel.

Jasper County/Monticello has a new football boss

          An unfamiliar name to the area and state has taken over at Jasper County/Monticello.

          Aaron Pitts was hired in February and start in March as the latest head coach in Monticello. He succeeds Rydell Jackson, who went 10-21 in three seasons, take a step back record-wise each year to 2-8 in 2020.

          Pitts has a solely Tennessee background, and was last at Blackmon High in Murfreesboro, Tenn., where he was an assistant for a team that went 10-2 in 2018, 8-5 in 2019, and 4-6 in 2020. His latest duty has been as defensive coordinator.

          He began coaching in 2006 as an assistant in at Mt. Juliet (Tenn.) Christian Academy, followed by three years as an assistant at Marshall County. He spent a semester as head coach at Stratford High in Tennessee, leaving six months later to become as head coach at Marshall County.

He resigned in the spring of 2014, after two seasons and a 9-11 record, ostensibly to spend time with family, which included an 8-year-old and 4-year-old twins. In 2015, he moved to offensive coordinator and assistant principal at Cornersville High, coaching a state runner-up in 2017.

          The Mississippi native spent a season at Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) Community College, then went to Middle Tennessee State, from 20002-04. He has been an offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator.

          Jasper County hasn’t had a winning season since 6-4 in 2003 under Doug Huff. He left after four years, was succeeded by Jimmy Hughes (6-24 in three seasons) and Eddie Roberts (11-29 in four seasons) before returning to go 10-33 in four seasons.

          The Purple Hurricanes haven’t had consecutive winning seasons since 1995-96, going 16-5 under David Cochran.

Northside football staff’s has comings and goings

          Northside remains busy since Chad Alligood took over as head football coach and athletics director.

          His second season's staff will have a new defensive coordinator, from just down the road, and a very familiar new offensive coordinator.

          Offensive coordinator Shane Sams lasted a year after coming from Centennial, which followed a stint at Warner Robins. Defensive coordinator Casey Vogt lasted a year after coming from Mercer.

          Sams headed north to become the offensive coordinator at Rome, and Vogt took over as head coach at Dacula, both announcements coming in March.

          Rod Harris was promoted to defensive coordinator, and Alligood is regaining the controls as offensive coordinator.

          A newcomer takes over in the secondary for Harris, the Eagles attracting Don Hudson from Houston County.

          Hudson is a Northside grad (1989) who lettered for three seasons at Georgia Southen, first as a slotback and then as a defensive back. He has worked at Statesboro, Clarke Central, Cedar Shoals. and Elbert County, his duties at different times covering football - often as a coordinator - and boys basketball, plus track.

          "We've been trying to get Hudson for awhile," Alligood said. "He's a Northside grad. We're just trying to add as many Northside guys as we can to the staff."

          After the first year off from calling plays in a long time, Alligood will return to the spot of offensive coordinator.

          Northside also added former Veterans standout Jaylen Lowder, who is just finishing up his academic and football career at Fort Valley State.