Pine High School has selected Bradley Seal its new head football coach to replace Chris Fussell, who recently resigned the position.

“I have always wanted to be a head coach but I didn’t know that it would happen this early,” Seal said. “It was a surprise when he left but sooner or later you have to get thrown into the fire.”

“I really thought things were going in the right direction and I am confident that we can still do a good job. I am just taking it from day one that I took over but things are going to change because it has to be my program and I have to do it my way. “

Seal, a graduate of Bowling Green School and Southeastern Louisiana University, served a teaching internship under Shane Smith at Franklinton and was previously offensive coordinator at Bowling Green. He transferred to Pine in January in that capacity.

Fussell was 5-15 in two years at the helm of the Raider program before taking a position as head football coach at Jewel Sumner Middle School.

“It was the hardest decision I ever had to make and I dreaded having to tell the players,” Fussell said “Pine is a great school and I loved it there but I wanted to be able to coach my son.”

Fussell’s wife, Lisa Fussell, is also the principal at Jewel Sumner High School.

“I think the Pine program is headed in the right direction and Coach Seal is going to do a great job.” Fussell said. “There are great kids there and they have really bought into what we have asked of them.”

Seal said he plans to continue to run a spread offense that the Raiders incorporated last year and will be based out of a three-man front on defense.

“I think our team is built for the spread,” Seal said. “We have a lot of speed and when you can get them the ball in space, they can make things happen.”

“Most of the teams on our schedule run a form of the spread and the three-man front gives you an extra athlete on the field or another guy with speed.”

Pine opens the regular season at Jewel Sumner in Kentwood on Aug. 31.

“With a couple of weeks till practice it was kind of a tough situation but I think we will be fine,” Seal said. “I really feel like we can take the next step this year.”