Veteran coach Mark Wilson has been hired to take over the Bryan County High School football program and serve as athletic director.

Wilson was chosen by a committee including school representatives and community members. His hiring was approved at Thursday night’s Board of Education meeting.

"We’re very excited and optimistic about Coach Wilson coming aboard," BCHS Principal Harold Roach said. "Our committee made a very good choice – a unanimous one I might add."

Roach said BCHS was looking for someone capable of building a program, and Wilson has a proven track record of doing just that.

Wilson was most recently coach at Americus-Sumter in Region 1AAAA, one of the state’s toughest Class AAAA regions. Wilson replaces Ron Lewis, who resigned recently after 12 seasons at the helm and a 28-92 record.

Wilson is 96-94-1 in 18 years at a number of high schools around Georgia. He has been a head football coach for 18 years and an athletic director for 15 years.

When Wilson arrived at Americus-Sumter High School, the traditional AAAA powerhouse had fallen to rock bottom in the years before he arrived. During the 2006 and 2007 seasons, ASHS made the playoffs in the always tough Region 1AAAA. His last two years, 2008 and 2009, the team missed the playoffs by one win each year with overall records of 4-6 and 5-5.

-Read more in Saturday's Bryan County News.