Central Georgia coaching carousel: Westfield's Camp to Stratford, Williamson has double duties, Harden to Fullington
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Danny Camp still has some work to do before he can start diving into his new job a little.
The Westfield assistant baseball coach isn't done with this baseball season in Perry, the Hornets winning their GISA first-round playoff series. Once that season is done - and it's likely to take a little while - Camp can look ahead to taking over the baseball and softball programs at Stratford.
After six seasons as head baseball coach and two as head softball coach, Tyler Brown is leaving coaching and teaching at the end of the school year, Stratford announced Wednesday morning.
Brown went 72-66 at his alma mater in baseball and 34-25 in softball. The Eagles were eliminated by Brookstone in the first round of the GHSA Class A Private baseball playoffs, and reached the Elite Eight last fall in softball.
Camp is a 1992 Mount de Sales graduate who went to Columbus College (now Columbus State) on a baseball scholarship, graduating with a degree in health and physical education from Georgia Southwestern State.
His coaching career got started at Piedmont, and he left there the school's all-time leader in baseball and softball wins, the Cougars taking the GISA AA state title in 2014.
He moved to Westfield, and the Hornets' softball program took off, winning state GISA titles in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Camp went 128-13 in softball, the Hornets winning six region titles.
Hawkinsville's Williamson takes on added duty of ...
Some folks think a person has to be crazy to be a high school coach.
Others think the same of somebody interested in being a high school principal.
Shane Williamson doesn't seem to be either one, because now, he's doing both jobs.
The second-year Hawkinsville head football coach was appointed as principal in mid-February, although the county's board of education meetings website doesn’t indicate the move.
The only mention among board meeting minutes is in an item in the March 16 meeting regarding the employment of J.T. Black as an intern teacher for the rest of the year:
"Mr. Black will fill the weightlifting class vacancy that occurred on February 18, 2021, when Shane Williamson was transferred to the position of HHS Principal."
According to the March 9 meeting minutes, the resignation of principal Charles Myers was accepted.
Williamson knows what he's getting into, despite just being at Hawkinsville for just less than two years, taking the football job in April of 2019.
He was an assistant principal at Toombs County during his five season as head coach of the Bulldogs.
The hiring of Black is of note for the Red Devils' football program. He's the son of Cam Black, an alum who is in his second stint as an assistant at Hawkinsville, and was head coach for four years, succeeding Lee Campbell, who he later worked with on the staff at Peach County.
Cam Black had built Hawkinsville into one of the state top weightlifting programs, and much of that success mirrored football success: the Red Devils have state titles in 2003, 2004, and 2014.
Williamson rejuvenated the strength program, Daniell said, and it finished second in Class A in the state's Georgia Athletic Coaches Association meet recently, also finishing second in an area GACA competition.
The Red Devils showed progress in 2020, Williamson's second year, with a 4-6 record, matching two seasons of his predecessor, Will Conner.
Hawkinsville is 21-39 since the 13-1 championship year in 2014, under Daniell, who resigned a year later to get into administration full-time.
Another coach is adding an administrative title to the resume.
David Coffey, a Perry grad who played at Georgia and led Veterans baseball for several years, will become an assistant principal at Pulaski County Elementary.
The head softball coach added head baseball coach to his responsibilities as well. He was the Red Devils' assistant baseball coach when he moved to the school after the 2018-19 school year, and succeeded Chris Lamb, who had moved to Northside.
Harden takes over at Fullington
Stacey Harden has covered a lot in his coaching career, from being an assistant at Westside under a veteran like Robert Davis to being an assistant under a rookie like John David Abernathy at Tattnall, as well as head coach at Perry.
Harden, who has retired from the public school system, is back in charge, now at Fullington Academy in Pinehurst.
The Trojans get one of the area's most experienced coaches, one with a resume of stops at successful programs.
He spent many years alongside former Veterans head coach David Bruce, from Warner Robins in the early 1990s and early 200s to Westside in the late 199s, and then again at Veterans.
Harden succeeded Andy Scott as head coach at Perry in 2010, and followed a 1-9 season in 2009 with a 6-5 mark. The Panthers then went 7-4 and 6-5 under Harden, who resigned in April of 2013.
Since then, he has coached at Veterans, Perry Middle, and Tattnall, serving last season in Macon as offensive coordinator.
After a year as head coach at Fullington, Brian Breland has left to be an assistant at Valwood, the move made public in mid-March.
Breland's coaching career started at Valwood after graduating from Valdosta State. The Perry grad was hired at Fullington, a GAPPS member, as an assistant for year before being promoted last March, right at a year after being hired.
The school posted a few weeks ago that Van Bailey was returning to the school as athletics director and head basketball coach for both teams, assisted by Paige Reed with the girls and Dave Hartin with the boys.