Parkview will fill the coaching vacancy left by Cecil Flowe by hiring Loganville head coach Eric Godfree. Godfree played tight end at Parkview from 1990-1993 and coached the Panthers after his playing career at Presbyterian College as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator. Godfree began his head coaching career at Loganville in 2004 and finishes his tenure with the Red Devils with a 53-50 record. The Parkview job opened this past October when Flowe announced his retirement midway through the Panthers’ disappointing 3-7 season. Flowe’s time at Parkview left a legacy that saw four state titles, a state record 46 straight wins and a 197-67 all-time record according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.
“Obviously, with the tradition that Parkview has, that’s a big draw itself,” said Godfree about accepting the head coaching position. “I respect and think the world of Cecil Flowe. He is one of the main reasons why I am doing what I am doing today and to be able to work at a program like Parkview means a lot to me. I played there and right out of college ball, my first coaching job was there and those were some special times.”
The next step for Godfree will be finalizing his new coaching staff and Godfree expects to began teaching and coaching at the Gwinnett campus sometime in early February.
“Parkview has a lot of good football coaches there now so as far as having to go out and find a new staff it will not be as difficult as it would be at other schools,” said Godfree.
Parkview’s brand of football was synonymous with good defense during Flowe’s tenure, but the offense has become stagnant in recent seasons. Godfree’s return to Parkview and his uptempo zone read offense could give the Panthers more balance this upcoming season.
“We’ve transitioned into a read zone style at Loganville and I am planning on going into Parkview and running a no-huddle offense,” said Godfree. “It will depend on our personnel and if we have to throw it 70 percent of the time we will, and if we have to run the ball 70 percent of the time we will. The defense [at Parkview] has played very well and has been very competitive. If you play good defense you will be close in every game you play. So that part of the job really does excite me.”
The Panthers will be competing in a Region 8-AAAAAA next season that saw a changing of the guard last season as Archer and Dacula established themselves in the region. Godfree believes Parkview is in one of the toughest regions in the state, but he expects the Panthers to reestablish their supremacy.
“Parkview is still Parkview and there is no question that Parkview can compete for one of those top spots [next season].”
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