Oglethorpe County High School’s athletic staff will experience changes next year, including a new girls soccer coach.
Erich Forschler is stepping away from his position following the graduation of twins Emily and Madeleine Forschler, who have signed to play at South Georgia State in Douglas.
Forschler said he’s accepted a job to teach and coach at Camden County High School, which will be closer to the twins.
“Part of the idea is being able to watch them play,” Forschler said.
A number of changes to the coaching staff every year is typical, Holland said.
“It’s always a few changes, you know,” he said. “You want to have as much continuity as you can, but there are different life situations and things.”
Jessica Ward, a teacher at OCHS, will not be back in the fall to coach girls and boys cross country.
Brandon Adams, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Oglethorpe County Middle School, will join the cross country coaching staff alongside assistant coach Darius Tompkins.
While Adams will be a faculty representative and “handle all the administrative type things,” Tompkins will “probably run the day-to-day stuff,” Holland said.
Although Adams has not coached cross country, he previously coached soccer.
Maurice Freeman, an OCMS teacher, will step away as an assistant with the OCHS boys basketball team after one season, but will continue to coach the boys track team.
Gary Hughes will not return as the golf coach next spring, but Dale Blalock is coming out of retirement to coach the team. William Ballard, an assistant wrestling coach, will join the golf staff as an assistant.
Brianna Dickens, who is co-AD with Holland, will stay on as the softball coach, but Steve Mason will coach middle school softball this fall. Mike Campbell, the OCHS baseball coach, will assist Dickens.
Girls soccer assistant coach Elizabeth Moncrief also won’t be back next year.
Holland said OCHS still has teaching positions that need to be filled, and it would be preferable if one of those teachers could coach soccer, as well.
“If it’s a good fit and it works for everybody, then that’ll be the case,” Holland said. “But we may have to make some adjustments.”
Holland said he sometimes has to be creative in the hiring process. He encourages teachers to get involved, even if they don’t have coaching experience.
“It’s always good to meet new folks and get new folks into the mix,” Holland said. “We show them how we do things and things like that, and learn from them as well.”