Westside High School football program announces new hire

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The time has come for Cedric Mason to mold a program into his own.

The former Lakeside assistant is now the head coach of Westside.

The move puts him as the centerpiece of a program coming off their second 8-win season in the past two decades.

This year, the Patriots fired off six straight wins to start the season.

Former Patriots head coach Lee Hutto has moved on to coach at Evans High School.

It is another classification change for Mason. Lakeside dropped down from Region 2-6A to Region 1-5A this past season. This fall, he’ll coach Westside in Region 4-AAA.

Mason spent six years wearing multiple hats on the Panthers sideline. He is the next member of former head coach Steve Hibbitts squad to flee the nest.

Hibbitts recalls of Mason’s coaching style, “Coach Mason was one of the main keys to our success at Lakeside. On top of being an excellent coach, the kids absolutely loved playing for him and he helped to create a culture that was all about promoting the kids and helping them find opportunities after their high school playing days were over. That was extremely appealing to our players and helped them buy in to what we were trying to build.”

Brett Johnson has since taken over the Lakeside football program.