DALTON, Ga. -- Dalton High School has rounded out its athletic staff for 2015-16 with the addition of three coaches, athletic director Jeff McKinney said.
Former professional pitcher Rhett Parrott, who prepped at Northwest Whitfield, is the new baseball coach. Parrott has been the softball coach, a baseball assistant and the athletic director at Coahulla Creek.
He replaces Shane Ramsey, who resigned this spring during what ended up being an 8-14 season for the Catamounts.
"Rhett has an outstanding background, both as a coach and teacher," McKinney said. "He's a perfect fit for our program. We had several strong applicants for the position, and we chose Rhett because he's a great baseball coach and somebody that's going to be a great fit for our community.
"Obviously, baseball-wise he's been coached by several great coaches and he's one the best pitchers this area has ever produced."
Rhett Parrott is pictured in this file photo.Though the team had a losing record this season -- its first in Class AAAAA -- Parrott will have 21 current freshmen and sophomores returning.
Matthew Rigdon is the new boys' track and field coach. Rigdon, who was the head track coach at Rome, replaces Scott Thompson, who is remaining at the school and will continue to be an assistant coach in football.
"Coach Thompson has been coaching year-round for us and he wants to take a step back, and we're fortunate to be able to hire Coach Rigdon," McKinney said. "We've gotten to know Matthew from his days at Rome. He's a high-character person and he fits our track need and as a football coach, where he will be a defensive assistant."
The school is also hiring Whitney Hollifield as its new competition cheerleading coach. Hollifield comes from Ridgeland, where she started the program and quickly achieved success. She replaces Tami Fleming, who is returning to her alma mater, Ringgold, to coach.
"Whitney started competition cheerleading at Ridgeland and within four years got them to the state playoffs," McKinney said. "She has a great background in the team competition sport and Whitney is another great fit for us."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.