COAL MOUNTAIN -- North Forsyth High School is in search of a new football coach after Jared Zito announced earlier this week that he is resigning his position in charge of the Raiders.
Zito leaves North Forsyth after four seasons in charge that included an 18-24 record and two Class AAAAA playoff appearances.
Raiders athletic director Nathan Turner says there has been no shortage of interest in the position.
"The job has been posted for less than 48 hours and we've already had 71 applicants," Turner said. "There are a lot of coaches out there who know that they can be successful here."
The North Forsyth program, begun in 1994, has experienced postseason success under three different coaches, including Bruce Miller (1997-2001, currently at Gainesville), Jeff Hollis (2002-06) and Zito (07-2010). Miller took the Raiders to their best playoff finish so far, reaching the Class AAA semifinals in 2001.
"I think that's a tribute to the kids and the community that we live in and the hard work they've put into making this a successful program," said Turner, who hopes to have a replacement named as soon as possible. "The position will be open until the end of February, at which time we'll narrow down our applicants and begin interviews.
"You don't want to stretch this sort of thing out; you want to move thoroughly but quickly because this is now a year-round sport."
Zito, who rebuilt the Raiders from a 1-9 program in 2007, was not immediately available for comment.
"We thank coach Zito for his efforts and wish him the best of luck," Turner said. "As he moves forward, so will we."
Saturday
August 2nd, 2025
8:42AM
