PREP FOOTBALL: Mason steps down after one season at Holly Pond
May 21—Coleman Mason has stepped down as Holly Pond's head football coach.
Mason, who officially tendered his resignation last week, led the Broncos to a 2-8 record in his lone season with the program but recently accepted a position as the offensive and defensive line coach at Oneonta — where his oldest daughter attends school — ahead of the 2024 campaign.
"We preached faith, family, football for our priorities during the year," Mason said in a text message to The Times. "I was presented an opportunity to go be with my kid, so I felt like I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't practice what we want the priorities to be."
With Mason's departure, the Broncos will enter next season with their sixth coach in as many years.
Mike Bates stepped down following the 2019 campaign, Chris Moss served two separate stints atop the program (2020, 2022) and Mark Cornelius (2021) joined Mason in completing a single term with Holly Pond, which moved back up to Class 3A following recent reclassification.
Principal Nate Ayers told The Times he's hoping to move quickly on the new hire.
"We're looking to have someone named by the end of May," he said. "I want someone who wants to lead our guys and help mold them into young men. I want someone who wants to be at Holly Pond. I want someone to run with this culture we've built here. There are some awesome things going on at Holly Pond and this group of guys deserves someone who will pour into them and continue to build on that — someone to take our program and school to a whole different level."
