THOMASVILLE — Just four candidates remain in the running for Thomas County Central’s soon-to-be-filled football head coaching job.

The school has narrowed the field of what was once a flurry of applications to just a few people that are all from Georgia, but vary in terms of their backgrounds. Thomas County Schools superintendent Dr. Dusty Kornegay says the school system hopes to have a coach selected on Thursday.

The first of the four candidates is a very familiar one — Leonard Guyton, who has been the Yellow Jackets’ offensive coordinator since 2015. His work with quarterback Kelias Williams and the rest of the split-back veer offense helped Central win the 2016 Region 1-AAAAA championship, the team’s first region title in seven seasons.

A graduate of Central, he also won two state championships in 1996 and 1997 as the Yellow Jackets’ quarterback during the team’s dynastic decade-long run. Before his current position, he was the offensive coordinator at Bainbridge and Berrien under his former coach, Central legend Ed Pilcher.

Another candidate with a history in South Georgia is Ashley Henderson, the current head coach at Valwood School in Hahira. He has been at the helm there since 2012, and has led the Valiants to three GISA state titles and three region titles. He is coming off his most recent state title in 2017, which Valwood won over Trinity Christian. Before his time with the Valiants, he was an assistant coach for Valdosta, his alma mater. He has a 66-12 overall record as a head coach.

Jason Strickland is another familiar name in the final four, especially to Thomasville fans. A Clinch County native, he was the leader of the Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane of Region 1-AA from 2012-2016 before leaving to coach Pierce County last year. He won two region titles with Fitzgerald, leading that team to state final appearances in 2015 and 2016. He also served as the head coach of Lamar County from 2008-2011, where he won one region title.

Pierce County finished 5-6 in its first year under Strickland, losing to eventual Class AAA runner-up Peach County in the second round of the playoffs.

The final name on the list is from North Georgia — Todd Wofford from Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville. The Cartersville native has been the head coach of the Black Knights since 2010, amassing a 39-46 record in some tough regions that have included Archer and Grayson in the past. Central Gwinnett currently plays in Region 7-AAAAAAA, which currently consists of Brookwood, Norcross and Parkview. Before getting his current job, he was the offensive coordinator at Gainesville, a program that has seen a lot of success. His team finished 5-5 in 2017.