In what might seem to be an odd move, Crescent City’s current principal is making a move back to Palatka.
Randy Hedstrom, who is the principal of the southern Putnam County junior-senior high school was announced to become the next head coach for the Panthers earlier Monday, the Florida Times-Union reported.
Hedstrom, replaces Willie Offord who resigned after two seasons as the head coach of the Panthers. Offord departed Palatka back in January after taking the head coaching job in South Carolina.
However, Hedstrom is no stranger to the program having played for the school in the late 1970’s.
Offord, took the Panthers to the playoffs this past season, posting a 6-5 record. Before Palatka, Offord was the head coach for two years at Interlachen in western Putnam County and spent the 2009 season as the head coach at Paxon in Jacksonville.
![Three generations of Garcia's pose for a photo from Hillsborough (Tampa) on Sunday, July 12 at the AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa, Fla. From left to right is Hillsborough Head Coach Earl Garcia Jr., Earl "EJ" Garcia IV, and Earl Garcia III. [FloridaHSFootball.com]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026-Tampa-Bay-Buccaneers-High-School-Football-Media-Day-Day-2-Photo-Gallery.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
![The Durant Cougars (Plant City) hold up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Flag during the photo session of the 2026 Tampa Bay Buccaneers High School Football Media Day on Saturday, July 11, 2026 at the AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa, Fla. [FloridaHSFootball.com]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026-Tampa-Bay-Buccaneers-High-School-Football-Media-Day-Day-1-Photo-Gallery.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
