Former North Side head coach Vowell now at Peabody.

TRENTON – Former North Side football coach Tab Vowell officially has a new job, and he’s getting to work with some of his buddies.

Vowell has officially joined the coaching staff at Peabody High School as the defensive coordinator, according to head coach Shane Jacobs.

“Tab is the best defensive mind in West Tennessee, and I’m ecstatic we get to have him on our staff,” said Jacobs, who was an assistant under Vowell at North Side when Vowell took over the Indians in 2009 until he left for Peabody in 2012. “I learned a lot of what I know about coaching football from him, and adding him to our staff will do a lot for our team.”

Vowell announced his resignation from coaching at North Side on Feb. 3, and he gave no indication of what he’d do next other than not being a head coach.

Vowell said he plans to keep living in Jackson as his wife works in Jackson, so Trenton is a short enough commute to make the job feasible than head coaching jobs that had come open at other places around West Tennessee.

“After so many years being a head coach, it was time to make a change because it’s easy to get burned out being a head coach,” Vowell said. “Being here with Shane and the rest of the staff and the players they have on the roster, I’m looking forward to getting to work and getting ready for this season.”

The Golden Tide coaching staff is full of coaches who’ve been at other places in West Tennessee and Jackson including former South Side head coach Jason Driggers, Jay Taylor and Steve Mathis.

The team has lost a couple of coaches from last year, defensive line coach Ron Oakes, who came with former Tide head coach Ricky Woods, went back to Mississippi and longtime Tide assistant Kevin Ellison took a job at Ripley.

“I’m just glad to get started,” Vowell said. “There’s a good group of kids here just like the good groups we always had at North Side, so I’m excited about this.”

Brandon Shields, 425-9751