McIntosh wrestling coach

Marty Hutsell, who has won two state championships in his

17 years at the school, was fired from that post and

offered the opportunity to remain at McIntosh as a

teacher, according to published reports.

Hutsell was not at school

Thursday, and efforts to reach him at home by telephone

were unsuccessful.

"We have decided to

make a change and go in a different direction with our

wrestling program," Stillions said Thursday. He

would not comment further, saying only that it was a

personnel matter..

A report in the sports

section of Thursday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted

Hutsell as saying that "differences of opinion"

led to Stillions' action, and Hutsell was offered the

chance to resign but refused.

Sources at McIntosh

confirmed that Hutsell informed his students Wednesday of

his status with the wrestling team, adding that he would

be staying as a teacher through the end of the school

year.

Stillions is in his first

year as principal at McIntosh, after serving as the

school's athletic director. He coached wrestling at Mt.

Zion for several years, during which his teams squared

off on the mat against Hutsell's from time to time.

In his career of more than

20 years, Hutsell has won state titles in four

classifications. McIntosh took the Class AAA crown in

1998 and triumped in Class AAAA in 1997.

Before coming to Peachtree

City, Hutsell helmed the program at Feldwood, where his

teams were Class A state champions in 1980 and Class AA

champions in 1982.

A total of 10 McIntosh

wrestlers have won individual state titles during his

tenure.