Teams in county make moves with assistant coaches
By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Eastern Alamance’s football coach staff has been reunited in many ways during the past five weeks since a head coaching change in June.
Longtime coach John Kirby returned to the position on an interim basis after a retirement that lasted one season.
“I tried to bring back some guys we’ve always worked well together,” Kirby said. “We’re trying to blend the old and the new.”
Kirby was back in charge after the departure of Mitch Mitchener in June.
A rather lengthy list of staff members is rejoining the effort for the Eagles, including former defensive coordinator Robbie Harris.
Harris was head coach at Eastern Guilford before a long tenure with Eastern Alamance.
Others rejoining the Eastern Alamance staff include Danny Blanchard, Keith Bowland, Chris Anatra, and alum Will Walker. Ex-Eagles player Matt Simmons is on board as well.
Former Western Alamance athlete and assistant coach Brandon Burris is on Eastern’s staff. Incoming assistants also will include Mark Woody, who had limited connection to the team last year, and Shannon Parsons – both with ties to past Northern Durham staffs.
Kirby said there could be at least one more addition to the staff in August.
“Got a full sideline,” he said. “We’re getting the band back together. . . Recruiting of adults has gone well.”
Eastern’s coordinators were already in place before June’s changes. J.T. Kirby, the interim coach’s son, directs the offense, while co-defensive coordinators are Jack Nimmons and former Eastern athlete Jalen Hester.
Burgess goes to Cummings
Jimmie Burgess has left Williams, where he was instructing defensive backs, to become defensive coordinator at Cummings.
Williams and Cummings meet in the August 22 season opener.
Terrance Alford was promoted to interim coach at Cummings in June following the firing of David Grimm.
Southern adds assistants
The replenishing of Southern Alamance football coaching staff panned out as first-year coach Jonathan Hester anticipated in mid-June when he had openings to fill.
Jonathan Pugh, a former Southern player, has taken one of the positions as an assistant coach.
Another assistant coach will be Sam Spencer, a former head coach at Jordan-Matthews. Spencer is a Durham Jordan graduate and previously a player in the Greensboro College program. He also has been on coaching staffs at North Moore and Lee County.
Southern lost staff members when former head coach Fritz Hessenthaler was hired as Orange’s coach.
Mitchener’s move
Mitchener, who was out as head coach at Eastern Alamance in June after one season with the Eagles, remains in the Alamance-Burlington School System with an assignment change.
Mitchener has taken a position as physical education and health teacher at Cummings.
Mitchener’s departure at Eastern Alamance was labeled a resignation. He hasn’t commented regarding the change. He’s a Western Alamance alum and former assistant coach there before taking the Eastern job in 2024.
