Matt LeZotte
Matt LeZotte is entering his 10th season as the Head football coach at Richmond Hill High School after serving for 2 years on the Wayne County Football Staff as Assistant Head Coach in Jesup, GA and as the Head Football Coach/Athletic Director at Aquinas High School in Augusta, GA from 2009-2012.
Richmond Hill has totaled over 33% of its entire program wins since the arrival in 2015. The Wildcats had a 6-year string in the GHSA Playoffs, making it to the second round in 2018 and 2020 and the Semifinals in 2019. The Wildcats also hosted a home playoff game four consecutive years in that span. The Wildcats won the 2019 Region 2-6A Title, and LeZotte earned 2019 Region Coach of the Year. The Wildcats were Co-Region Champs in 2020. Additional awards include 912 Sports Coach of the Year and Savannah Morning News Coach of the Year in 2019. LeZotte serves on the Georgia Football Coaches Association Board and is also the Nike Coach of the Year Clinic Director for the Atlanta Clinic.
WCHS: LeZotte served as the Assistant Head Coach and running backs coach for the Yellow Jackets. LeZotte coached multiple All-Region and All-State players while at WCHS. While at WCHS, LeZotte helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a 2013 GHSA 4-A Semifinal appearance and a 2014 Region 3-AAAA Championship and Quarterfinal appearance.
AHS: LeZotte compiled a 28-16 record in four seasons, making the playoffs each of the last two seasons. In 2011 he was named the Comcast CSRA Coach of the Year after his team made it to the GHSA State Quarterfinals, finishing the season with a 9-4 record. He led his team to three winning seasons in a row, first ever home playoff game, and led the team to its first ever playoff victory, all which had not been done in the schools 60+ year history of playing football. In 2011 the team set, at the time, school records for points per game scored (33.6), points per game allowed (16.4) and overall victories (9) while finishing as the Region 7-A Runner-Up. In 2012, Aquinas finished the regular season at 8-2, which had never been done prior to 2012 while playing a region schedule.
In College: LeZotte was a four-year letter winner and three-year captain at QB while playing for James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. He was the captain of the 2004 I-AA National Championship team. He was the first three-year captain in the school’s history.
Personal: LeZotte and his wife Lindsay have two daughters, Lucy (10) and Alice(8), and one son, Tate(5).
Coach Oliver enters his 3rd year at Richmond Hill High School. He played safety at Mercer Univ, recording the first defensive touchdown of the inaugural season versus Reinhardt Univ, and the game-sealing interception versus Drake Univ. Coach Oliver previously coached at Aquinas High School, Norcross High School, and most recently Broad Run High School (VA). He earned an Education Specialist degree in PE from Valdosta State Univ. He and his wife, Cassie, have two sons, Gray and Mills, and two dogs, Beau and Banks.
Coach “Fick” is entering his 2nd year at Richmond Hill High School. He comes to RHHS from Ohio where he played Quarterback and Graduated from Ashland University. He then coached for 9 years with 6 of those being a Head Coach. Coach Fick received his Master’s of Arts in Teaching from Georgia College and State University. His wife, Tricia, teaches Spanish at RHHS and they have 4 children named Kaelyn (8), Natalie (7), Brycen (5), and Lyla (2).
Coach Dixon is entering his second-year coaching at Richmond Hill High School. He was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia. He graduated from Benedictine Military School, where he was a 3-sport athlete. He attended Armstrong Atlantic State University. Cory joined the Savannah Fire Department in 2006. He was recently awarded the honor of 2023 Firefighter of the Year. He and his wife, Nikki have two children Merritt and Isabelle.
Coach Rothwell enters his 1st year at RHHS. Coach Rothwell comes to RHHS from both Michigan and North Carolina where he has 16 years of coaching experience. His roles have ranged from a position coach, special team’s coordinator, defensive coordinator and most recently a head coach in North Carolina. He graduated from Aquinas College (MI) receiving a bachelor’s in education. His Wife Ashley joins him as a teacher in Richmond Hill and they have one Son Taylor (11), and two Daughters Jaelyn (8) and Mila (2).
Coach Taylor is entering his second year at Richmond Hill. He is originally from Hampton, VA and graduated from Kecoughtan High School. He ran track at Christopher Newport Univ in Newport News, VA. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Grantham Univ in Multidisciplinary Studies. He is a 23 year U.S. Army veteran who retired at Fort Stewart in 2020. He founded the Coastal Georgia Track Team in 2017 and has coached 25 All-Americans and 11 National Champions in Track and Field. He and his wife Belinda have 4 sons, Marcus, Isaiah Jr., Jasai, and Jayden.
Coach Cook is entering his 3rd year at RHHS. He is a 2018 graduate from Bleckley County High School and graduated from Middle Georgia State University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. He is happily married to his wife Rebeca.
Joe Scott is entering his 7th year as the Offensive Coordinator for the Wildcats. Coach Scott is a graduate of Georgia College and State University with a master’s degree in teaching. Coach Scott has previously coached at Houston County High School and Brunswick High School.
Coach Davis, a 2009 graduate of Richmond Hill High School, is beginning his 8th year at RHHS. Josh played football at Savannah State University and has a master’s degree from Georgia Southern University. Coach Davis is a lifelong resident of Richmond Hill, he and his wife Colleen have two daughters, Kinley and Keller.
Born and raised in the Savannah area, Coach Flanders is entering his 19th year at Richmond Hill High School & has previously coached at Liberty County & Windsor Forest High School. He has a master’s degree in Kinesiology from Georgia Southern University. He and his wife, Mandi, both teach in the Bryan County School System.
Coach Rich is entering his first-year coaching at Richmond Hill High School. He is originally from Tulare, CA and graduated from Tulare Union High School. He joined the Coast Guard immediately after graduation and served 24 years as a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer retiring in 2022. While serving, he attended Ashford University to receive his bachelor’s and went on to Spring Hill College where he earned his master’s in business. Coach Rich was an assistant coach with the Richmond Hill Track and Field program the last 3 years, as well as one year with Cross Country. He and his wife Lori have 2 sons, Memphis and Knoxville.
Coach Swilley is entering his 3rd year with the Wildcats. His most previous stop was at Wayne County High School. Coach Swilley graduated from the University of Georgia where he played offensive line for 5 years winning both an SEC and Rose Bowl Championship and earning a National Championship appearance. Coach Swilley earned his Master’s of Arts in Teaching in Kinesiology from Georgia College and State University. He and his wife Mary Elizabeth have 2 sons, Hayes and Deacon.
Coach Hensley enters his 13th year at RHHS. Hensley played college football for the Cumberland College Patriots in Williamsburg, KY. He and his wife Denease have one daughter, Ashleigh.
Coach LeZotte enters his 10th year at RHHS. A graduate of James Madison University, LeZotte is a 4-Time All-American at the Safety position. He garnered All-Conference Honors all four years and Conference Defensive Player of the Year Honors 2 times, while at JMU. Coach LeZotte brings a mix of collegiate and high school coaching experience to the Richmond Hill football team and is also a 2019 Hall of Fame Inductee at JMU. He and his wife Katey have a 1-year-old son, Duke.
Coach Sheets, in his 7th season coaching at RHHS, is a graduate of Kansas State University with a life science degree and is a retired captain in the United States Army. Coach Sheets played college football at Dodge City Community College. He previously coached at Chapman High School in Kansas prior to moving to Richmond Hill. He and wife Chanelle have two children, Jaxson and Emersyn.