Charles Fant new Irish head coach at Notre Dame High School

photo Charles Fant participates in practice at Notre Dame High School in this file photo. The assistant coach has been named the new head coach.

No sooner did Notre Dame High School's football coaching job open than it was filled.

Josh Sellers resigned as head coach Monday afternoon after three seasons, and offensive coordinator Charles Fant was chosen to succeed him. Sellers compiled a 9-22 overall record, but last season ended with a loss in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs.

He and his family will be moving to Knoxville, where his wife has accepted a promotion within her company. He was an assistant for one season with Notre Dame, then took over in February of 2009.

Before coming to Chattanooga, Sellers had been the head coach for five years at his alma mater, St. Francis High School in Traverse City, Mich., where he went 57-7 overall and won two state championships. His father coached at St. Francis for 29 years, also winning two state championships.

"We appreciate the work that Coach Sellers put in here with our program and wish him and his family well," Notre Dame athletic director Howie Sompayrac said.

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"We are very excited about having Charles Fant as our head coach. I believe that Coach Fant is the total package for a high school football coach. He is a great role model for young men, he has an elite football mind, and his confidence and optimism are contagious."

Similar to Sellers' hiring, Fant was a Fighting Irish assistant for one season. He worked previously as an assistant at Boyd-Buchanan.

"Taking over the head coaching responsibilities at Notre Dame is a dream come true," Fant said. "As a businessman, becoming a head coach was something that I thought I would do later in life. My number one goal being a volunteer football coach was always to help each young man achieve their highest potential. Being the head coach at Notre Dame allows me to affect the lives of many young men every day.

"Notre Dame is a very special place, and coaching here for one year has made me love the faculty, staff and players."

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.

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