THOMASVILLE — Thomas County Central tennis will never be the same.

When the Central girls face Starr’s Mill at 8:30 a.m. Monday in the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs, longtime coach John Booth’s career might come to and end.

After 25 years of guiding the Yellow Jackets’ tennis program — racking up 17 region titles, four Final Four appearances and around 600 wins — Booth is retiring at the end of the season.

“It wasn’t a lightning bolt from the sky or anything,” Booth, 60, said about the decision to step down. “When I lost those three (Superintendent Dr. Larry Green, Principal Frank Delaney and head football coach Ed Pilcher), I felt like it was time to step aside.

“The big three wheels in your education community are the superintendent, principal and head football coach, especially if you’re in south Georgia. So, bam, bam, bam. There’s three in a row, and those are guys that have always been there.”

Still, to some, losing Booth is a bigger blow.

“There is no other,” senior tennis player Kellie McClune said. “It’s coach Booth. I would be shocked if anybody could find another man like him. He’s amazing.

“He’s coach Booth. He’s iconic.”

Added fellow senior tennis player Brooke Johnson: “He’s irreplaceable and so, good luck to the team next year, because they’re not going to find a coach like him.

“He’s one of a kind.”

He also built a one-of-a-kind program at Central. In his first season at the helm of the Jackets, Central achieved its first winning season. The accomplishments continued to grow from there, as did the family feel surrounding the tennis program.

“He’s like a dad to every single player, and he loves each of them like they’re his own,” said assistant coach Lari Carlton, who played for Central from 1999-2002. “He remembers everything he does. He can remember every match I ever played, and he can remember the score, which is amazing.

“He wants them to win so bad, not for him but for each other. He looks at it like a parent, not a coach.”

That outlook is something that Booth has promised every parent who has come through the Central program over the years.

“Parents gave me their most valuable asset,” he said. “You can always buy or build a bigger house, a prettier house or remodel. You can keep your cars up-to-date. It’s just money.