By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Upson-Lee looked for a new head football coach for a little more than a month, and found a familiar face and name.

The school announced Logan Winkles as the program’s 10th football boss on Tuesday night.

The 2025-26 carousel
👉🏼 April 6: Coaching carousel: ACE taps veteran Greene; Gainous departs Perry; Dodge County's Hamilton retires; Around Central Georgia

👉🏼 March 31: Coaching carousel: Peach County girls basketball, Dublin football, Twiggs County football, Mount de Sales basketball
👉🏼 March 19: Upson-Lee has jobs, jobs, jobs open: Lockhart retires, Elder and Kirksey leaving for new gigs
👉🏼 March 12: Moving on: Westside's Grube and Roberson; Moving back in: Mount de Sales' Slocum
👉🏼 March 10: Job filled: Jasper County snags veteran Pinkins as new head football coach
👉🏼 March 6: After years of waiting, Belflower gets the call to be head coach, taking over at Central Fellowship
👉🏼 March 4: Job filled/help wanted: Central Fellowship taps ACE's Whetsel as new athletics director

👉🏼 Feb. 20: Central Georgia carousel: Cummings returns to take over football at Southwest
👉🏼 Feb. 12: From Macon to Montezuma, Risper lands at Macon County
👉🏼 Feb. 6: More spinning of The Carousel: Washington County has a new head coach; Jasper County loses Henderson to East Jackson
👉🏼 Feb. 5: Coaching Carousel: Mount de Sales' Yates moves back to Memphis in unique situation; Macon County makes another change

👉🏼 Jan. 17: Westside has a new head football coach
👉🏼 Jan. 14: Central Fellowship’s Walls stepping down from several jobs for one with the family business
👉🏼 Jan. 14: Dupree leaving Southwest, his alma mater, after 13 years for top job at familiar McDonough

👉🏼Dec. 19: Familiar face - Jamoski Ward - to take over at Central
👉🏼 Nov. 4: First HS football coaching casualty of 2025: Central's Laws on-field successes minimal, but off-field progress notable
👉🏼 May 27: Westside’s Risper announces resignation after the 2025 season

The 2010 Upson-Lee grad hasn’t ventured too far from home since his playing days ended at N.C State in 2014.

He returns after a year as defensive coordinator at Harris County, current home to former Knights head coaches Tommy Watson (2008-13 at Upson-Lee) and former home to the late Tommy Parks (2014-16 at Upson-Lee).

That followed a year at Warner Robins, which pulled Winkles from his alma mater, where he was head wrestling and track coach and assistant football coach for two seasons.

Winkles coached with his predecessor, Justin Elder, who resigned last month for family reasons and has taken a teaching job in Monroe County Schools.

He has also coached at Pike County and Spalding, holding the defensive coordinator title several times, as well as strength and conditioning.

Winkles was a standout football player and wrestler at Upson-Lee, winning the state 4A heavyweight title as a senior and raising the Knights’ current profile in two seasons as head coach.

He got a brief NFL minicamp look after playing for the Wolfpack.

Winkles also has a unique sideline: he’s a singer and guitar player, as the frontman for Hartley Station, which has played all over Central Georgia.

From the band’s Youtube page: “Born and raised in the soulful hotbed of Middle Georgia, Hartley Station has had multiple genres of music infused into their being. Their influences came from the writing styles of Country Greats like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, but also from the Soul originators like Sam Cooke, Solomon Burke, and Etta James.

“Throw in a little Southern Rock and some R&B into the mix, and you'll have an idea of where their minds wander when they write the songs that tell their heart's story.

“Logan Winkles sings as the frontman to Hartley Station, a conglomerate of amazing musicians based out of middle Georgia that include rhythm stylist Ryan Hilton, drummer Matthew Fortson, bass player Tre Housman, co-founder Hayden Richardson on lead guitar, and incredibly talented back up vocalist/sister to Winkles, Bryce House.”

Gillhouse leaving Jones County wrestling

The Central Georgia high school wrestling community will be without Adam Gillhouse for the first time in a long time.

The Jones County wrestling boss announced on social media Tuesday that he was stepping down to take a role with the district as Communications Director.

“Coaching this program has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life,” he wrote. “I’m proud of what we built together and the toughness, growth, and character our athletes showed every day.”

The Greyhounds finished fourth in the GHSA state traditional meet in February, a program best, and Arrie Martin won a state title.

He took over the program in 2022, after joining the football staff a few years earlier, eventually leaving on-field coaching to serve as director of operations. Gillhouse was the Region 2-4A wrestling coach of the year in 2025.

Gillhouse raised the profile of the wrestling programs at Howard and Westside before moving to Jones County, also coaching football at both places.

Around Central Georgia

Windsor pulled off something of a coup with the addition of Lee Hamner as defensive coordinator.

Hamner has plenty of GHSA and GISA/GIAA experience in Central Georgia, at Jones County, Putnam County, Howard and Mount de Sales.

His coaching career in Georgia started at Ware County in the 1980s, with stops following at Westover, Brantley County, Worth County, Turner County (head coach), Chattahoochee, Jones County, Putnam County, Fullington, Howard, St. Anne-Pacelli, and Mount de Sales. …

Peach County has added Travis Reece (formerly of Rutland, Howard and ACE, among others) as defensive coordinator and Jalen McCarty as run-game coordinator and defensive line coach.