Augusta Prep narrows candidates for football coach

Augusta Prep interviewed its final head coaching candidate Monday as the school moved closer to fielding its first football team.

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Athletics director Tom Holodak and other members of the school's coaching search committee have narrowed their choice to three finalists. Two candidates interviewed Friday and one Monday.

Holodak said a decision on a hire could be a week away. Whether one of the three finalists will be named coach will be decided by a committee vote and is not guaranteed, Holodak said.

Augusta Prep learned from a fall 2007 football clinic that younger students had an interest in the sport.

The turnout helped spur the decision to start the program, as well as instances when Holodak noticed students choosing a different school because of the lack of football at Augusta Prep.

The initial team likely will play at the middle school level, although Holodak wouldn't rule out starting a junior varsity team.

"What direction we're going now, I'd rather not talk about," Holodak said. "We could have middle school, JV, both or neither. We got to be very careful that we don't go too quickly. We're basically trying to build from the younger ones and work up."

Holodak said none of the three candidates -- one from Savannah, one from North Carolina, and one local -- have extensive coaching experience, and that the ideal hire would be one the committee felt was intrigued with starting a program from scratch.

The committee is also looking for a candidate certified in strength and conditioning to work with other varsity teams in the new athletics facility.

Most importantly, Holodak wants to be certain he doesn't act too quickly. He said a varsity program could be four to five years away.

"If we're going to go invest a quarter million dollars in football, the last thing I want to do is fall on my face," Holodak said. "We've got to be careful."