Coaching Staff
Matthew Desjarlais
Coaching Bio
Coach Desjarlais has spent the bulk of his 19-year teaching career coaching both Track and Field and Cross Country - first at Paulding County High School and then at Allatoona High School. In that time he played a crucial role in Allatoona's back-to-back state T&F championships, coached 6 top-ten team Cross Country finishes, worked with 8 individual placers in the 800m and up in T&F, and coached the 2017 individual Cross Country champion. Coach Desjarlais has been the Head Coach of the XC team at NPHS since 2021. He is a Social Studies Teacher at North and loves spending time with his two daughters. |
Russell Brand
Coaching Bio
Coach Brand started his coaching career at Hiram High School in 2002 as their Head Cross Country Coach until 2021, when he moved to North Paulding High School as the assistant cross country coach. Coach Brand continues to coach the distance Track and Field team each year in the Spring to keep our runners in shape year-round. A long-time high school English teacher, Coach Brand is always on the move and is notorious for his stretching routines and injury prevention methods. |
Andie Whitfield
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Tanessa Singleton
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Coaching Bio
Coach Whitty has been coaching Cross Country for 5 years at the high school and collegiate levels after competing for the University of North Georgia's Cross Country team. She grew up in West Cobb and has been running competitively since the age of 4, attending and then working as a Camp Counselor and Coach at several summer running camps throughout her time as a runner in high school and college. 2024 will be her 3rd year as a School Counselor and Cross Country Coach at North Paulding High School. Her main priority as a coach is instilling a lifelong love of running in young athletes through creating positive relationships and promoting education in mental health and overall wellness. |
Coaching Bio
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