Pearl-Cohn assistant Damien Harris named East Nashville football coach

Former Pearl-Cohn quarterback and running back Damien Harris, who spent the last 14 years as a Firebirds assistant, was named the coach at East Nashville Tuesday.

Harris replaced Jamaal Stewart, who accepted the Centennial coaching job on March 23 after leading the Eagles back-to-back Class 3A state championship runner-up finishes. Stewart went 27-11 in three seasons at East Nashville including 12-3 this past year.

"I've got some big shoes to fill with Jamaal Stewart; he did a great job," Harris said. "East is always one of the top teams in Metro and its good to walk into a program like that, but I've also got my work cut out for me. It's going to be a challenge and I'm definitely up for the challenge."

Not only are Harris and Stewart friends, they both rely on similar philosophies, which should make the transition go smoothly.

"We both use spread, no-huddle offenses," Harris said. "I actually talked with Jamaal a lot and he's been helpful through this whole process. I watched his team play, I know a lot of the players on the team. I've known them and kept an eye on them since they were younger in middle school as well as pee wee ball. So I'm real familiar with the program."

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Harris was a player on the Pearl-Cohn team under coach Maurice Fitzgerald when the Firebirds won the 1996 and 1997 state championships. He played quarterback two seasons before moving to running back. Harris also was a starter on the Pearl-Cohn basketball team.

He was then a four-year starting running back at UT Martin. He led the Skyhawks in rushing in 2001 with 571 yards on 141 carries and scored seven touchdowns and in 2002 with 322 yards on 45 carries and one touchdown.

He began his coaching career as an assistant at Marshall County before joining the Pearl-Cohn staff in 2009.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.