It’s a perfect marriage: the winningest high school football team in the country with the most famous high school coach in America. With Rush Propst in Valdosta, the intent is to win. And win a lot.
77 days later, Valdosta High School shows they’re ready to compete. They’re calling it a black and gold rush in Valdosta as Rush Propst is the new football coach.
On Jan. 29, the Wildcats shocked the entire world by firing head coach Alan Rodemaker after a 10-3 season when they reached the quarterfinals of the playoffs. But for the Wildcats, quarterfinals isn’t quite enough to keep you safe. Rodemaker was 36-17 as a head coach for the Wildcats and lost to Lowndes his last three seasons in the Winnersville Classic. Between the loss to Richmond Hill and a political divide in the community, the school board decided to make a change.
The change wasn’t welcomed at first. There was talk of boosters pulling funding for the program. Many fans were unhappy with the school board’s handling of the decision. Rodemaker even won the opportunity to call for a re-vote, but the decision remained the same. Valdosta asked the community to focus on the future, and the demand was that if Rodemaker was to leave, then the Wildcats better bring in somebody impressive.
So the Wildcats began a national search. The rumored names were almost just as impressive as Rush himself. Hal Mumme, the air raid offense revolutionist. Kenny Sanchez, who put Bishop Gorman on the national level in Las Vegas. Just about every successful high school coach in the state was rumored to be up for the job.
But hiring Propst sends a direct message on where the Wildcats want to be: competing for championships. Rodemaker did a fantastic job of winning a state championship in 2016, but there’s still a large part of the community that felt Valdosta hadn’t reached the heights they’re capable of. They want to be in the conversation every year. Rush Propst does exactly that for his teams.
Propst is largely considered one of the best high school football coaches in the country. From his time taking over Hoover and winning championship after championship, to gaining national notoriety on MTV’s “Two-A-Days,” to continuing his success at Colquitt County High School, his reputation needs no introduction. His seven championships, and a national championship, make him a decorated winner. He’s also well known for getting his athletes college scholarships. He currently sits with 299 career coaching wins. His first win for the Wildcats will be No. 300.
This is a perfect marriage of the most successful high school football team ever with one of the most effective high school football coaches. And it shows Valdosta’s intent to create a national brand. In Propst’s last five years at Colquitt County, he played multiple schools from California, Alabama, and Florida, and he beat a lot of them. He also took on the best teams in North Georgia every year in the regular season and playoffs and won against them as well. Rush made Colquitt County a national football threat, and the Wildcats wants to be at that level.
With Rush Propst, the sky is always the limit. He knows some of the best coaches in the country at the college football level. He knows how to win football games. He and Valdosta will look to reroute Georgia’s football landscape back in South Georgia’s favor.
For 2020, this puts Valdosta right in the middle of the state championship conversation. This team has a lot of returning talent, including one of the best receiving cores in the state. But now with their head coach in place, the expectation will be another trophy in Winnersville.
Written by: Kyle Grondin
