FERRIDAY, La. &045; Huntington’s new football coach is a familiar face to football fans in the Miss-Lou.

Chad Harkins, formerly head coach at Block, was hired as the Hounds’ new head coach Wednesday morning, Huntington headmaster Ray King said. Harkins will replace Bo Swilley, who resigned as Huntington’s head coach in order to concentrate on ministry work.

&uot;I’m excited about the challenge of going to Huntington. They’ve been through several coaches in the last few years,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;Hopefully we’ll get things going in a good direction. But in turn, it’s been a tough few days with having to leave people and kids you care about.&uot;

Harkins coached at Block, in Jonesville, La., the past four years, taking the Bears to the playoffs in each of his seasons.

&uot;I was very happy at Block, especially with the success we had,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;It was hard to make the decision to leave and harder to tell the team I was leaving. Three years ago I thought I would be at Block for 30 years. I’m not a hit-and-miss kind of guy. I’m not looking to go in and win and then leave.&uot;

Harkins met with Huntington football players Wednesday morning in his first act as the program’s new head coach.

&uot;I met with 16 of the kids this morning. We just basically introduced ourselves and talked about when we can get together for training and such,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;We have a short time to get things done since the MPSA starts so much earlier than the LHSAA.&uot;

King had set up some criteria for what his new coach should be: an established head coach, a local resident and a disciplinarian.

Enter Harkins, who fit all those.

&uot;We wanted someone who had a good track record and was local,&uot; King said. &uot;He fit the ball for all that. We needed someone our community could have confidence in. We knew he was a fine coach and the interviews went very well.&uot;

But Harkins also had an ace in the hole &045; his wife Wendy, who graduated from Huntington.

Working a little closer to home was also a draw for Harkins, who lives in Vidalia. That was also a draw for King and the Huntington board of directors.

&uot;One of the things we have lacked is consistency in the principal and football coach. We’ve had a lot of turnover in those two positions and the board of directors and the athletic boosters are determined to change that,&uot; King said. &uot;We want people who are coming here to stay for a while. That’s why we’ve tried to stick as locally as possible.&uot;

Harkins said getting a coaching job close to where he lives was vital to him.

&uot;I’m locked into this area. My wife loves it here and she has her family here,&uot; Harkins said. &uot;We’re not going anywhere. It’s a better situation for me and my family.&uot;

Block principal Don Bunning said Harkins told him Tuesday afternoon he had agreed to a contract with Huntington and would be leaving.

&uot;I think economics had a lot to do with it,&uot; Bunning said. &uot;I know he wasn’t dissatisfied here. I think he just saw it as a chance to advance.&uot;

Bunning said it is too soon to know what direction Block will take in looking for a new head coach.