Tharptown and Belgreen have new coaches while PC searches for baseball skipper
By Staff
Scot Beard
When students at three county schools return to campus this fall, there will be a few new faces leading various athletic programs.
The Tharptown football team will have a new coach as Barry Laster moves up from an assistant coach position to fill the vacancy left when Dale Overton left the Wildcats to accept a position at Prattville.
Belgreen had a busy summer, filling vacant positions for the boys basketball team and the baseball squad.
Dan Bell is hoping to return the Bulldogs to prominence on the basketball court.
"(Belgreen) has a good facility and tradition," Bell said. "I would like to get something started that is bigger than it has ever been."
He brings an impressive resum/ to the job that could allow him to accomplish his goal.
Bell, a Huntsville native, played college ball in Louisiana before playing for Athletes in Action.
He has collegiate coaching experience with various programs including Marshall, East Carolina and was the head coach at Northwestern State University in Louisiana.
After leaving the Demons, Bell was the head coach at Bob Jones in Madison for 10 years, guiding the Patriots to the state title game in 2003. He spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach and junior varsity coach at Hazel Green.
Daniel Allison will take over the Bulldogs baseball program.
Allison coached at West Point in Cullman County the last two years and likes the idea of coaching at a 1A school.
"I like the small-school setting because I played at a small school," Allison said. "My wife and I looked around the area and really liked it so I decided to apply."
Phil Campbell is also seeking a new baseball coach. Franklin County Superintendent Bill Moss said a teaching position was not available at the school so he allowed principal William Smith to make the selection.
Attempts to reach Smith for comment on the search were unsuccessful, but assistant football coach Bart Moss said Smith is still looking at candidates.
