By Myra Bean

North Panola High School cleaned house in the athletic department this month.

“On July 22, the principal (Demond Radcliff) asked for my resignation as head football coach and athletic director,” said Clifton Davis Jr., former North Panola coach. “I heard last night (Monday) they introduced the new football coach and athletic director. I never turned in my letter.”

North Panola promoted assistant football coach Sean Norwood to lead the Cougar football team for the upcoming season. Most schools in Mississippi opened fall football practice Monday, but no one was around the Cougar football field Monday afternoon.

Assistant principal Chris Harlow has taken over the athletic director duties.

Davis said he did not see the writing on the wall and did not understand the change in a telephone interview Tuesday morning. Since Radcliff took over the principal position in July, he has replaced the boys basketball head coach Leroy Boyd and assistant coach Keith Thomas with new head coach Dannis Jackson and assistant Kiwannis Flowers.

Radcliff has been on vacation this week and was not available for comment.

Davis coached the North Panola team for 22 years before he was replaced in 2001. A series of football coaches came and went until Davis returned in 2007. In 2007, the team finished in the first round of playoffs. In 2008, North Panola made it to the second round of playoffs. Last year the team finished with a 3-8 overall record.

Players were haphazardly showing up for fall and spring practices. For the second straight year, North Panola canceled spring game activities due to a lack of practice participation. Last fall only five players showed up for the first day of practice and three for the second day of practice.

Norwood came to North Panola in 2002. He joined the Cougar staff in 2007 as an assistant coach. Norwood is a 1995 graduate of South Panola High School and was a member of the 1993 state championship football team when he was a junior.

Two years at Northwest Community College was the extent of his playing career. He finished his degree in telecommunications engineering at Ole Miss. He has taught math at North Panola High School, Crenshaw Elementary and the last two years at North Panola Jr. High.

Norwood will also head coach the junior high team. The Cougar team will start practice Monday and do two-a-days through Friday.

In his immediate plans, Norwood is expecting “commitment” from the players.

“ I want to see guys there everyday, giving everything they’ve got, trying to make themselves better, make me a better coach. I have been calling them and they have been calling me,” Norwood said.

Assistant coaches are offensive coordinator Ricky Hunt, Aquino Eppenger, Harry Davison and Robert Hunter. Norwood will coordinate his own defense.

Chris Harlow has been at North Panola for three years, serving as assistant principal. He remains in that capacity and adds the Athletic Director duties to his already full schedule.

“Mainly I’m having to catch up and do a lot of paperwork with the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) working in conjunction with those folks, getting our kids eligible, getting dues and memberships paid,” Harlow said. “Things I normally didn’t do. I’m also making a security plan.”

Harlow has a background in sports having played at North Pontotoc High School. He went to Itawamba Community College and then finished his bachelor’s at Mississippi State University in social studies. He worked in the Madison County School district  where he said a lot of the athletic management responsibilities fell on the shoulders of the coaches.

“I thought I could get in here and make a difference for our athletic program because I have experience working with MHSAA and I know all the people, have different contacts,” Harlow said. “I jumped in and said I’ll do it for you.”

At Madison County Schools he coached softball, track, football, basketball(boys and girls) and baseball at Madison Central.

In the middle of baseball he decided to get his masters degree. He did that at Mississippi College along with  a specialist degree.

His initial plan for the North Panola athletic department is to build off the foundation already established.

“Really I want to promote our kids,” Harlow said. “I am trying to get our student-athletes to be participants on the college level whether at Northwest, Division 1, 2, 3 whatever. We are just promoting our kids and getting them on to college. That is one of my main initiatives, get our kids participating at the next level.”