CENTRE – Nathan Wehunt stepped off the school bus Monday afternoon at Cherokee County High School and was greeted almost immediately by Warrior football coach Tripp Curry.

The only difference now is Wehunt is beginning to build his own program.

Wehunt’s Ohatchee Indians took on Curry’s Warriors for a 7-on-7 scrimmage. Last season’s Warrior defensive coordinator is the latest of Curry’s former assistant coaches to move on and coach their own programs. Will Wagnon is now beginning his third season as head coach at Munford, while Matt Glover is beginning his fourth season at head coach at Pinson Valley.

“It’s kind of weird coming back where you’ve been for so long, but it’s been good here (at Ohatchee),” Wehunt said. “I’m proud of our guys. They’ve been working hard. We’ve got 85 kids out from (grades) 7-12, and we’re pleased with that. You can’t really ask any more of them with how hard they work.”

Curry said it makes him proud to see his former assistant coaches move on to guide programs of their own.

“You never want to lose a coach, but in the other aspect of it, you want coaches who are looking to be head coaches,” Curry said. “We’ve lost a few down the road to better positions, but these guys have put in their time, and they know the system we go by. They kind of use that system. It’s flattering that these superintendents and principals take chances on our coaches.”

Wehunt said he plans to run “a lot of what Tripp does here” with the Indians.

“We call it the “I” out of the shotgun,” Wehunt said. “We’ll mix it up a little bit, but we’ll be primarily a run-the-football type of team.”

Wehunt takes over for Ohatchee native Jason Howard, who left the Indians for a second coaching tenure at Spring Garden.

Wehunt said he’s kept in contact with Howard about what to expect as head coach at Ohatchee.

“He told me when I got the job anything he could help me with he’d be more than glad to. He has, and I’ve been real pleased with that,” Wehunt said. “We’ve talked a little bit about stuff like eligibility, stuff I’m not normally accustomed to doing all by myself.”

Following the scrimmage, Curry said he thought Wehunt “handled his kids well.”

“They were really disciplined,” Curry said. “I thought he got a lot out of his assistant coaches, and the assistant coaches got a lot out of the kids. It just trickles down, and when it trickles down like that, usually you wind up having a good team.”

The Class 2A Indians open the 2012 season Aug. 30 at White Plains.

Speaking of coaching changes, the Warriors have their own new addition in former Piedmont line coach Fred Taylor.

Taylor, hired earlier this month, will coach the Warrior defensive line and inside linebackers.

“Coach Taylor is a good one,” Curry said. “He’s fiery, he’s exciting, and he loves it. (Piedmont) Coach (Steve) Smith called me and told me he didn’t want to lose him. They had kind of lost a slot down there. We needed a good coach and we got one with him.”

Taylor said he’s lucky to learn from another state championship head coach.

“There’s no two better coaches in the area than these two guys (Smith and Curry),” Taylor said. “For me to be able to work with Steve for five or six years, and to be able to take what I learned from him and work with Coach Curry closely, I’m lucky. This is a football-crazy place, and I’m a football-crazy guy. I love it.”

Taylor, a former Jacksonville State defensive tackle (1999-2000), said he’s still trying to get acclimated with the Warrior players, but his coaching philosophy is a simple one.

“As long as they give me everything they’ve got, they’re going to get everything I’ve got,” Taylor said.

The Warriors open the 2012 football season at Piedmont on Aug. 31.