Walton didn't have to go far to find its new soccer coaches.

Bruce Wade, the school's girls soccer coach for the past nine years, will replace longtime boys coach Bucky Boozer at the helm of the defending Class AAAAA state champions.

Meanwhile, junior varsity girls coach Sharon Loughran - who coached the varsity team from 1991-2002 and also serves as the school's swimming coach - replaces Wade as she takes the Lady Raiders' helm for a second time.

"Definitely, coach Wade and coach Loughran have had experience that I couldn't have found anywhere else in the state of Georgia," Walton athletic director Christian Suttle said. "We're very fortunate to have such expertise right here in house. I'm very excited for them and we're looking forward to next year."

Wade has had a very successful tenure as the Walton girls coach, leading the Lady Raiders to six region championships in nine years, as well as several appearances in the state semifinals.

He will certainly face a new challenge as he tries to fill the big shoes of Boozer, who led Walton to six state titles, including one this season, during a 27-year tenure.

"You don't replace a guy like Boozer. You just step into the job and do the best you can," Wade said. "It's a great compliment that, when we started talking about making this transition, that I would be considered for this job."

Wade won't need to spend any time familiarizing himself with his new team, having helped out Boozer with the boys team, even as he coached the girls squad.

"For nine years, we've been working close with each other helping with each other's team," Wade said. "I do know the boys, so the transition will be totally smooth."

Boozer feels Wade is the perfect choice to succeed him.

"He'll do fine." Boozer said. "Bruce Wade is a great coach and has a real dedication to the game. Hard work doesn't scare him and he's willing to put in the long hours. We worked together for a long time, and I picked his brain and he picked mine, so he'll do fine."

Wade inherits a boys team that will lose several standouts who led the state-championship team, including Ali Elkhalil, Cory Plascker and Matt Schreiner. The Raiders, however, are expecting to reload rather than rebuild.

"We're losing some very quality players, so we have some big holes to fill, but we have a good group of juniors coming in," Wade said.

Loughran steps into a familiar role as she begins her second go-around as the Walton girls coach, having led the Lady Raiders to state championships in 1991 and '93, as well as nine region titles, before leaving to start the girls soccer program at Kell in 2003.

"I'm actually very honored," said Loughran, who has coached the JV girls team at Walton since returning to the school in 2007. "To be honest, I was content being the swim coach and coaching the JV girls, but I'm excited to be the head coach again. I really feel at home (at Walton). The Walton players are so good and the families are so supportive, so it's a great environment."

Wade is confident that Loughran will continue the success the Walton girls have traditionally enjoyed.

"It will be a smooth transition," Wade said. "She coached the JV team and she knows every girl on the (varsity) team. She'll do a great job."

Loughran will continue to coach the Walton swimming team, providing a bit of a scheduling issue with the end of the swimming season and the beginning of soccer season overlapping.

But it will be nothing new for Loughran, who faced the same dilemma during her first tenure as the head girls soccer coach. This time around, she will have to find some help in swimming with the departure of co-coach Tom Fulton.

"As of right now, I need to get some help, with coach Fulton leaving - especially with the (season) overlap - but I've done it before," Loughran said. "As soon as I get some help (with the swim team), it should be OK. There is such a huge tradition at Walton in all sports, so it should be fine."

Loughran will begin her second tenure at Walton with a much younger team after losing a number of seniors, including Kiana Nicholson, Brittany Conley and Sarah Durdaller.

"We graduated a lot of seniors, so we're going to be real young," Loughran said, "but, while we're young, we're still going to be amazingly talented."