Hebron Christian’s coaching search is over. The Lions are hiring Trinity Christian head coach Kenny Dallas. Dallas leaves Sharpsburg after eight seasons as the head coach, accumulating a 66-33 record.
Dallas helped Trinity Christian transition to the GHSA between his first and second years as head coach. However, his best seasons came in 2020 and 2021, when the Lions went 26-2, made the finals both years, and won the 2021 Class A-Private state championship, avenging their championship loss to Prince Avenue from the year prior.
Both teams were led by Coach Dallas’s sons, David and Josh, who were both named to the AJC First Team All-State and now play at Georgia Southern. In addition to them, the 2021 team had six other All-State players, including 4-star DB Aaron Gates, who is currently a major contributor for the University of Florida.
Hebron is coming off by far its best season in school history, marking many firsts for the program, the school’s first 10-win season, first semifinal appearance, first finals appearance, and first championship. In only his third year as head coach, Jonathan Gess looked to have a long-term future with the Lions. However, Gess had other plans, leaving Dacula for Southside Christian in Greenville, South Carolina in mid February.
The pairing of Dallas and Hebron should be an easy fit both having recent success. The next question is how the rest of the coaching staff will shape up heading into the 2025 season. The Lions’ coaching staff featured a pair of high-end coordinators, former state championship head coach Bruce Miller as offensive coordinator and a rising star in defensive coordinator Daniel Mejia, who helped the defense allow only 13.6 points per game this past season.
On the player front, the Lions need to replace a lot of production from the 2024 season. The team is losing three 3-star recruits who will be playing the 2025 season at ACC schools. The top-rated player is edge rusher Carrington Coombs, a top-600 player in the country who signed to play for Brent Key and Georgia Tech. Geritt Kemp, the other top-1,000 recruit, was ranked as the No. 46 cornerback in the country according to 247Sports and is heading to North Carolina State. Perhaps the most impactful of the three in high school was defensive lineman Sichan John. Ranked as a top-1,400 player in the country, he is heading to Charlottesville to play for the Virginia Cavaliers. In addition, they are losing starting quarterback Thomas, who threw for over 2,200 yards with 24 touchdowns and rushed for over 700 yards, adding 13 touchdowns on the ground.
However, the Lions are returning a handful of high-end players from last year’s team. Most notably, they will return running back Devon Caldwell, who has already received seven Division I offers, most notably from Georgia State and Mercer. Additionally, they return standout freshman defensive lineman Fred Moses. At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, he will be a player to watch moving forward. In his freshman season, he accumulated 48 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, five sacks, and seven QB hurries.
Trinity Christian will now begin its own coaching search. While the Lions’ program is undoubtedly one many coaches hold in high regard, their candidate pool will be limited because many coaches have already secured jobs for the 2025 season. However, being just four seasons removed from back-to-back title appearances and with a strong administration, the job remains attractive and the hire will most likely turn some heads.
Around the Class boys - Prince Avenue baseball secured a big win over Buford, 14-3. … Wesleyan baseball won its third straight game with a 6-4 victory over Fellowship Christian. … Hebron Christian soccer continued its undefeated start to the season with a 2-1 win over Whitefield Academy. … Providence Christian soccer escaped Rabun County with a 5-4 victory in penalty kicks.
Around the Class girls - Greater Atlanta Christian soccer has cemented itself at No. 1 with a dominant 7-0 victory against Cherokee Bluff. … Savannah Arts soccer earned a commanding 10-0 victory against Savannah Christian to move to 8-1 on the season. … Savannah Country Day won its third straight with a 7-0 win over Toombs County. … Mt. Paran secured a big bounce-back win over Atlanta International, 2-1.
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