Chad Parkerson talks with Keyton Smith prior to an at-bat in 2016. Parkerson will now lead the Cairo Syrupmakers after 13 years at Thomas County Central.

THOMASVILLE — For the past 13 years, Chad Parkerson has been the leader of Thomas County Central’s baseball team. This week, he began the next chapter of his coaching career — And the new opportunity won’t take him very far from home.

Parkerson accepted the head coaching job at Cairo High School on Thursday, drawing to a close more than a decade of accomplishment at Central — and opening a chance to begin anew.

“There’s no way that I can thank coach Parkerson enough for all his time, his effort, the work and the investment in our program, our kids and our community,” Thomas County Central athletic director Sam Holland said. “It’s been an amazing run for him and his family here. We will always be indebted to him and what he has brought to this community and to this program.”

Last season, Parkerson took the Yellow Jackets to within one win of the Region 1-5A championship, keeping pace with Veterans all the way to the end after beginning the season 0-6. In 2016, he led what was perhaps the best Central team ever — a 25-5 squad — to a Region 1-4A title.

“Central’s been nothing but good to me and my family,” Parkerson said. “I told the players (Thursday) and that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I truly love those kids and the kids that have played for me in the past.”

Parkerson will take over a team coming off its second-ever region title. With a lot of key seniors gone, including ace Emerson Hancock, there will certainly be a good amount of up-and-coming guys to work with. For Cairo, the decision to bring Parkerson in was aided by seeing his work up close. Before last year’s realignment, Cairo and Central shared a region, and both teams faced off twice last season.

“If you ask anybody in South Georgia that knows coach Parkerson, they know that he prides himself on fundamentals and discipline baseball,” Cairo athletic director Tom Fallaw said. “We have played (Central) through the years and that was always a characteristic of his teams.”

Over his long tenure at Central, Parkerson was no stranger to inquiries from other schools. He had an itch to do something different recently, but he and his family could not bring themselves move far away. The interview with Cairo was the first one he’s had since becoming the Yellow Jackets’ coach.

“We love this place,” Parkerson said. “We love this community and this area. There have been opportunities in the past, but then you have to move. I’ve never really wanted to do that.”

As for what he’ll miss, there’s a lot to choose from on the field, but he’ll mostly hold on to memories that are a little less visible to the outside observer.

“We’ve had some really good wins but the thing that I absolutely love the most are those little moments,” Parkerson said. “When someone slides into third, gets a big hit, or a pitcher gets out of a jam… I see that look in their eyes and the smile on their face. Maybe even more than that are just the conversations I’ve had with players and the relationships I’ve had with phenomenal people. Those are things I’m going to miss, and I want them to continue.”