FERRIDAY, La. &045; Maybe you just don’t really know how much you miss something until it’s gone.

In the case of former Adams County Christian School head football coach Bo Swilley, his Sunday School classes since leaving the coaching and teaching profession made it clear how much he missed his old job.

So Swilley accepted a position as assistant football coach at Huntington School to work under head coach Hugh Hathcock this fall for the Hounds. Swilley will also serve as head track coach and athletic director, a position vacated when Michael McAnally resigned for a position at Copiah Academy, in one of two coaching changes at the school.

&uot;I just missed the kids, I missed being in the classroom and I missed being on the field,&uot; said Swilley, who left after six years at ACCS to enter private business. &uot;I told my wife (Traci) I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to do. Coaching is what I think God wanted me to do.&uot;

Swilley helps fill a vacancy on the football staff left by assistant Cori Britt, who recently8 took a job at ACCS. The meeting of Hathcock and Swilley earlier this spring was productive on both sides, and the Hounds landed a veteran coach on the sidelines to help out and work with conditioning.

&uot;He called me and asked if he could apply for a job,&uot; Hathcock said. &uot;He said he missed being a coach and wanted to come back in some way. He’ll have plenty to do. I really didn’t know much (of him), but when I got to talking to him he sounded like he knew football. We’re on the same page.&uot;

The Ferriday school is a homecoming of sorts for Swilley, a native of Ferriday while his wife graduated from the school. He coached at ACCS from 1995 until 2000 as the Rebels made the playoffs his final season there.

&uot;My father-in-law lives there and mentioned an opening, and I called and found out what they had,&uot; Swilley said. &uot;I met Mr. Hathcock and liked what he wanted to do for the school and felt like it was a good fit. The school is headed in the right direction.

&uot;My wife and I own a pharmacy, but I opened a furniture store but didn’t like that. My heart is in teaching and coaching. Depending on what we need, I could probably do anything.&uot;

Swilley will join the staff as just an assistant for now and may work with conditioning this summer before players and coaches report for drills July 28. The Hounds will enter their second year under Hathcock after finishing strong in District 7-1A last year and contending for a wild card berth in the playoffs.

&uot;When I’ve coached, I’ve always been offensive and defensive coordinators,&uot; Hathcock said. &uot;The way I look at it, whatever happens the head coach will get blamed anyway. That’s the truth, really. I thought we had a decent year last year for our first year. I’m looking forward to having a good year this year, too.&uot;

The numbers won’t be similar to what Swilley experienced at AC but rather to his days at Cedar Creek, a Class 1A school in Ruston.

&uot;There’s some pretty good kids there,&uot; he said. &uot;Coaching is coaching. You can only put 11 on the field at one time. It’s easier to find 11 out of 400 than 100, but only 11 can play.&uot;

Also, Hathcock announced the promotion of Brandon Gousset from assistant boys’ basketball coach to head coach to fill the vacancy left by McAnally. Gousset will also be head fast-pitch softball coach, another position held by McAnally.

&uot;I knew I would be able to be a head coach one day, but I didn’t know it would be so soon,&uot; said Gousset, a 1997 ACCS graduate and 2001 Louisiana-Monroe grad who completed his first full year at Huntington the past school term. &uot;It’s a lot faster than I thought it would be.&uot;

And similar to McAnally, Gousset will take his baseball background into coaching softball with the Lady Hounds. McAnally had no experience coaching softball but led the team to a 2001 state title and 2002 South State title.

&uot;I played baseball when I was a kid and slow-pitch softball in church league,&uot; Gousset said. &uot;I’ll take what I know about baseball and slow-pitch softball and put it together.&uot;