By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Way done - again - at Tattnall

Bryan Way can't stay away.

This time, he thinks he can.

Way decided a few months ago that he was ready to hang it up as a teacher and coach at Tattnall, retiring for the third time.

He resigned at Warner Robins in early 2016, then took a teaching and coaching job at Tattnall several months later. Two seasons later, he took two years off.

Coverage
June 2: Tattnall taps Greene for girls hoops; and Northside, Houston County, Dooly County, GMC, John Milledge
May 24: Rutland hires a football coach, Mount de Sales has new basketball and wrestling coaches
May 19: Rutland’s Easom heading to Griffin
April 26 Coaching Carousel: Westfield/Stratford; Hawkinsville; Harden/Fullington
April 26: Veterans’ Miranda moving on

Then he took a year off. And then, when John Garrett Abernathy got the head football coaching job, he came back.

And - so he says - he's done. Again. He just laughed when the decision was called "The Latest Retirement of Bryan Way."

This one might just take. Might.

"Teaching. Everything," he said a few weeks ago. "I've had enough. I know it's time."

Way's mother passed away earlier this year, and his 89-year-old dad still lives in their house near Clarks Hill Lake northwest of Augusta.

"I want to spend more time with him," Way said. "I run up there on the weekends, but that's kind of rushed. He's 89, lives by himself. He's pretty independent, but he's not ale to do all the things he's used to."

Free fall seasons again are attractive, among other reasons.

"Spend more time up there, maybe travel a little bit, especially in the fall of ht year, which I've never really done.

"Got a bunch of projects around the house I've put off for about 35 years."

The conversation wound around, passing through the fact that he's done this before.

"I don't sit around very well," he said. "I may end up going back to work somewhere."

His successor as defensive coordinator is somebody who is capable of mixing it up in pads with the players, Clint Kent.

The Westside grad played at James Madison and in the Canadian Football League, and has a background in training football players.

Doings at Dooly County

After a 186-114 record, four Sweet 16s, and three Eight Eights, Towandi King is out as head boys basketball coach at Dooly County.

And as athletics director.

The school announced on Facebook on April 16 that head football coach Philip Hale was taking over as athletics director, and basketball assistant Montez Zanders was succeeding King.

That came a day after the regular monthly board meeting, but the information posted from the minutes and agenda has no information about any athletics changes.

The February meeting does list teaching assignments for next year as well as some current changes. King's position changed from high school teacher to kindergarten-to-eighth grade.

More carouseling

Less than a month after losing its softball head coach, Westfield has a new one.

The Hornets announced the hiring of Brock Van Faussien as the new softball coach. He replaces Danny Camp, who left early last month to take the softball and baseball jobs at Stratford.

Van Faussien comes to Perry from Statesboro, where he was an assistant at Georgia Southern for two seasons. Before that, he was an assistant at Pittsburgh, and a volunteer assistant at Georgia, helping the Bulldogs to a Women’s College World Series trip.

He was a grad assistant at Clemson and assistant at Liberty, his alma mater, as well as Southeastern Louisiana. …

Tommy Howell has resigned as head girls soccer coach at GMC Prep after five seasons, telling the team recently.

"It's hard to coach your daughter," Howell said. "I'd like to enjoy just watching her play."

Haleigh will be a sophomore this fall at GMC.

The Bulldogs went 42-28 in five seasons under Howell, rebounding well after a 2-14 first season.

"I talked to my wife and talked to my AD, and principal," said Howell, a Toombs County grad. "They understood. We had a good run, and it's just time."

Howell is one of the area's more veteran and versatile coaches who also also helps the GHSA administrate all sorts of championship events. He'll remain on the football staff with the Bulldogs. ...

Monquencio Hardnett was announced publicly late Thursday night in a pair of social media posts as the new head boys coach at Southwest, replacing Robert Cotton, who retired shortly after the season.

Hardnett graduated from Central and then Middle Georgia (Junior) College, signing with Connecticut and playing two years with the Huskies in the late 1990s. He has been an assistant at Westside for several years. …

John Milledge has added Jim Avera to the football staff, replacing Cody Mahler, who has moved to Perry’s staff. Mahler, a Perry grad, coached the offensive line and run game at JMA, as well as boys soccer.

Avera has been on 22 playoff teams in 30 seasons, having coached at Appling County, Fitzgerald, and Veterans, also coaching baseball along the way. He’ll take over the offensive line and offensive coordinator duties. …

Bleckley County has added former Hawkinsville head coach and Crisp County assistant Will Conner and recent UGA grad and former Coffee lineman Hunter Spivey to the football staff.

Brad Harber, who was Crisp County's head coach for four seasons and led the Cougars to the 2019 Class 3A state title game and semifinals a year later, has also joined the Royals' staff.