South Johnston High School football coach Joe Salas has stepped down from his head coaching position in the wake of an investigation by the NCHSAA, Johnston County Schools said in a news release Wednesday.

Shane Dular, the Trojans' offensive coordinator and in his eighth year at the school, has been named head coach.

"Coach Dular has served the South Johnston football program for eight years, having passed up other opportunities for head coaching positions along the way because of his loyalty to the students, parents, and community of southern Johnston County," the Johnston County Schools said in the release. "Coach Dular is excited about this new opportunity and assures the community that the team will not miss a beat and is confident that the winning tradition established by Coach Salas will be continued."

Dular, a native of Georgia, started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Valdosta State.

The Trojans will begin football tryouts for the 2011 season at 7 a.m. on Saturday with a closed team meeting in the auxiliary gym before practice.

Salas had been suspended by Johnston County Schools pending an NCHSAA investigation into rules violations by the Trojans' football team.

South Johnston football has experienced a resurgence in recent years under Salas. The program was 8-5 in 2010 and was 14-2 in 2009. The program also won 10 games in 2007.

Salas was 44-42 at South Johnston since taking over in 2004. He guided the team to its first playoff appearance in more than a decade in 2006 and had the Trojans playing in the 3-AA championship game in 2009.