By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

There have been many high school football head coach openings in South Georgia this offseason. The biggest opening was at national high school power Colquitt County.

On March 14, 2019, Rush Propst was relieved of his duties as the high school’s head football coach in a unanimous vote by the Colquitt County Board of Education.

His dismissal followed an investigation that determined he had violated the Code of Ethics for Educators for legal compliance, conduct with students, honesty, and public funds and property; including giving pills to students “on more than one occasion” and owing nearly $450,000 in delinquent federal and state taxes.

The Colquitt job became a hot topic around the state, and rumors swirled in Glynn County for a few weeks as Colquitt showed some interest in Glynn Academy head coach Rocky Hidalgo. Hidalgo ended the speculation by announcing he had no intentions of leaving Glynn Academy.

After an extensive search, The Colquitt County Board of Education voted unanimously to hire Jones County head coach Justin Rogers.

Rogers, in five seasons at Jones County, has become the most successful coach in school history with a record of 45-15. He’s not had a single losing season at the school; his teams have gone 10-3, 9-2, 7-5, 11-2 and 8-3.

In the post-season, the Greyhounds have gone 5-5 under his leadership. Rogers will inherit a talent rich program and will move into a community that is as rabid for high school football as you will ever find. Expect Rogers to keep that program near or at the top of its classification. Great hire by the Packers.

Over at Ware County, Jason Strickland has been named the head coach for the Ware County Gators, after leading Pierce County for two years and leading the Bears to the third round of the state playoffs in 2018.

Strickland was the offensive coordinator for some great Charlton County teams, then he took the Lamar County job in 2008 and took that program from 1 win in 2008 to a 12-1 season in 2011. He took over at Fitzgerald in 2012 and led that program to back to back State title game appearances in 2015 and 2016.

Strickland took over at Pierce County in 2017 and in 2018 led the Bears to a 13-1 record, which is the best in school history.

He has been a head coach for 11 seasons and compiled a 99-39-1 career record. Strickland coached teams have won 10 or more games in 6 of 11 seasons he has been a head coach.

Strickland inherits a talented roster and he should be able to come in and contend for a state title immediately. Jason Strickland is the 15^th Head Football Coach in Ware County history.

Pierce County, with the departure of Strickland, hired Ryan Herring as the new head football coach. Herring was head coach at Oxford, Alabama where his teams made multiple playoff appearances.

Herring coached five-star UGA signee Clay Webb, who was rated as one of the top offensive linemen in the nation during the 2109 recruiting cycle.

Look for Herring to continue the winning ways at Pierce County and build his winning brand of football in Blackshear.

And finally, this week Tony Glazer resigned as head coach at McIntosh County Academy.

The McIntosh County School Board chose Bradley Warren to replace him.

Let Spring Football begin!