Hartselle names Bert Newton as new head football coach
Jan. 2—HARTSELLE — The Hartselle Tigers have found their new head football coach.
On Tuesday the school announced it was promoting Bert Newton to be the new leader of the program in the wake of previous head coach Bryan Moore's departure for Opelika.
Newton was previously the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the Tigers.
"We are excited to announce Coach Newton as the next head football coach at Hartselle High School, and we are excited about the future of our football program under his leadership," said Hartselle Athletic Director Jake Miles. "It became pretty evident as our search began that the best fit for our future and school was currently on our campus."
Newton has been at Hartselle as defensive coordinator since 2017 except for one season in 2021. He was enthusiastic about his new role with the team.
"I've wanted to be the head coach at Hartselle since I got here," Newton said. "It's even more special now because my family lives here. I'm excited and ready to get rolling."
That familiarity with Hartselle was something that stood out in the hiring process.
"The thing that makes Bert the perfect fit for us is not that he simply understands football, but more importantly he understands Hartselle football and our Hartselle High School culture and kids," Miles said.
In the six seasons Newton has led Hartselle's defense, the Tigers have given up an average of 17 points per game with a low of 11. In 2019 Newton won the inaugural Broyles Award for top high school assistant coaches. He's also coached at Hoover, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills, being the coordinator at both Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills.
As head coach, Newton says many things will stay the same, but they will also be looking to grow.
"I plan on keeping our coaches on staff, so a lot of things won't change," Newton said. "There's always room for growth though. I want to continue to grow our program and do things the right way."
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—caleb.suggs@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2
