Manchester High School has a new football coach. Here’s what we know.
A secretive football coaching search that began in December came to an end Thursday morning, as Manchester High finally made a hire.
James Moore, previously the head coach at East Lawrence High in Trinity, Alabama, was approved to be the Blue Devils’ head coach at a Meriwether County Board of Education meeting.
“This place has an opportunity that a lot of places don’t offer,” Moore told the Ledger-Enquirer after the board meeting. “I think there’s a chance to have some greatness here.”
Moore coached at East Lawrence for two seasons, going 7-13 during his time with the program after inheriting a team that hadn’t won a game in more than 20 attempts. Moore said East Lawrence’s 32-16 win over Lexington in 2018 was the first time many of the team’s seniors had experienced a win with the Eagles.
After a two-win first season with Moore, the Eagles went 5-5 (2-4 in region 8-3A) in 2019, according to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society. It was the program’s first non-losing season in 22 years.
Moore holds 18 years of coaching experience, 10 of which he spent coaching in Mississippi, and six years of head coaching experience. He was a four-year starter at receiver at North Alabama, and landed his first head coaching job at age 28, at Thrasher High in Booneville, Mississippi.
Manchester principal Susan Zeigler told the Meriwether County School Board that the school had “over 60” applicants.
Moore replaces Evan Hochstetler, who was removed from the role in December for undisclosed reasons. The administration has said it wanted to “go in a different direction.”
Moore inherits a locker room that is no stranger to success: The Blue Devils went 10-3 in 2019, beat 1A public state championship runner-up Marion County 43-14 and lost in the state tournament to eventual champion Irwin County. Before his removal, Hochstetler compiled a 45-15 overall record at Manchester — a win percentage of 75%. His 45 wins are the fourth-most all-time at Manchester, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians’ Association.
Manchester will compete in GHSA region 5-1A for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
“I feel like (Manchester) is a place to be great,” Moore said. “If we work hard, and get things done, and do things the right way on and off the field, I success can be here fairly easily.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 9:13 AM.
