MOULTRIE — In the next-to-last row in the 2003 Colquitt County High School football team photo, wearing No. 93, is tall, blond sophomore defensive lineman Chris Merritt.

While dealing with an illness, Merritt did not play the next season, but in 2005, Merritt is listed on the roster as an offensive lineman wearing No. 61.

That player is the Chris Merritt who was named recently by the Colquitt County Board of Education as the new principal at his alma mater.

Merritt is currently the principal at Bainbridge High School, but he has a long connection to football and high school athletics dating back to his days as a 6-foot-3, 200-pound defensive end for the Packers.

He suffered a seizure before the Packers played Newnan in the state playoffs in 2003 and missed the next season.

He rejoined the team in 2005, moved to the offensive line, but suffered another seizure during football camp in Marianna, Fla.

Merritt gave up playing football, but Packers coach Tim Cokely allowed him to serve as an assistant helping Barney Myers coach the offensive line.

He later worked at North Florida Christian in Tallahassee as an offensive coordinator and was on the staff of two state championship teams there.

He then returned to south Georgia and coached at Cook and Thomasville.

Another seizure while he was the offensive coordinator at Thomasville led him to give up coaching, but guided him into administration.

He became the athletic director and assistant principal at Thomasville before moving to Bainbridge.

Of this and that:

• Former Colquitt County assistant Rico Zackery has been named the defensive ends and outside linebackers coach at East Carolina.

Zackery was the Packers linebackers coach in 2010 and has served as the head coach at Central of Carrollton, Villa Rica and, the last two seasons, Westlake High.

He has posted a 58-23 record over seven seasons as a high school head coach.

The Newnan native and former Georgia Southern defensive back also has been an assistant at his college alma mater and at Kennesaw State.

• Camden County has named Travis Roland as its head football coach to succeed Jeff Herron, who retired after the 2023 season.

Roland led Mainland (Fla.) High to a 14-1 record and a state Class 3S state championship last season.

He led the Buccaneers to a state runner-up finish in 2022.

In three seasons at his alma mater, Roland led Mainland to a 30-10 record.

He also coached at Flagler Palm Coast and has a career coaching record of 58-22.

Region 1-6A will have two new coaches next season.

In addition to Roland taking over from Herron, Jeff Littleton, formerly at Bainbridge, has been named the head coach at Tift County. He replaces Noel Dean.

• The Colquitt County middle school girls golf team competed at Spring Hill Country Club in Tifton recently.

For the Lady Packers, Blakely Collins shot 51; Aubree Walden, 52; Raylee Plymel, 53; and Julia Reed Brown, 54.