At any level of football, success breeds turnover on the coaching staff as top assistants are hired away, and few programs have been as successful in recent seasons as Demopolis. So it’s hardly a surprise that turnover came calling Tuesday, as DHS offensive line coach Todd Cassity was officially named head football coach of the Gordo Green Wave.

Cassity said Tuesday afternoon that taking over the reins of the 2A program from Pickens County will be the realization of a long-held dream.

“It’s been my goal. I’ve enjoyed my time on the Demopolis coaching staff and I’ve learned a lot from Coach Goodwin,” he said. “I’ve been very appreciative of the community and the administration in Demopolis…but ever since I was a young kid I’ve wanted to be a head football coach. The opportunity came up and God worked everything out.”

Cassity was offered and accepted the job Tuesday June 7, but the hire was not made official until approved by the Pickens school board yesterday. Cassity spent the intervening week doing his best to prepare for his new job and depart gracefully from his old one.

“It’s been really exciting. Since last Tuesday, when I was offered the job, it’s been really hectic,” he said. “I’ve been trying to figure out which loose end I needed to tie up first. But I’ve said good-bye to the players in Demopolis and I started our weight program in Gordo Thursday, just doing the work necessary to make sure we get this thing done properly.”

Cassity said that the Green Wave’s tradition of excellence–the team took home the 2001 2A state title–and Gordo’s fervent support makes it an ideal situation for a first head-coaching job.

“This is what you want as a football coach,” he said. “The town just shuts down on Friday night. It’s that big. As the coach you’re backed 100 percent, as long as you’re winning. Gordo football is a tradition. It’s all about winning.”

The pressure of stepping into that kind of atmosphere is a challenge Cassity said he’s glad to face.

“I would much rather come into a program where you already have those high expectations than work to build those expectations myself,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent here and we can win now. It’s a great situation.”

Despite his enthusiasm for his new position, Cassity says it’s never easy to leave a job like the one he’s had at DHS.

“I really enjoyed working with the DHS coaching staff and Coach Goodwin,” he says. “There’s a lot of friendships I’ve made in Demopolis that I’m not having to sever, but after working together for three years I just won’t be able to see them as often.”

One of the most difficult things, he said, is bidding farewell to the players he’s helped develop in his tenure at DHS.

“It’s hard to leave the players. I said my good-byes yesterday and they all understood that this is a great opportunity for me and my family,” he said. “After you go to battle with these kids for three years, you’re going to miss them. It’s hard to say good-bye, but they know I’m moving on to something better, and that’s the main thing.”