Six 2A school looking for new head coaches in the coaching carousel

There are now six Class s2A jobs open after Union County head coach Michael Perry left Blairsville for Flowery Branch. The jobs include traditional powers, new schools, and programs ready to be molded into contenders.

Crisp County and Union County make up the more traditional football programs with job openings.

Crisp County may be the biggest open job in Class 2A. The Cougars are only six years removed from a state title appearance. The Lawrence Smith era saw the team make the playoffs all three years; however, they only won one playoff game after winning nine in the previous three seasons. Crisp County has been successful regardless of the coach, with the three coaches before Smith all making the quarterfinals or better at least once.

Union County is currently on the longest playoff streak in school history, reaching the postseason in seven straight seasons and making the playoffs in 11 of the last 12. Perry leaves Union County with the most playoff wins in school history. Union County will undoubtedly be a job many coaches will pursue. Both jobs are some of the top jobs in their respective regions and will have many eyes on them.

Josey, Washington-Atlanta, and Murray County are all programs with good histories that have struggled in recent years. Josey is a prime example, with the Eagles having struggled for much of the 21st century. Not much changed under former head coach Lawrence Pinkney, who went 1-19 in two seasons at the helm. The Eagles have only made the playoffs once in the past 25 seasons, in 2015. However, the program is not a lost cause. The school has a strong history, with the Eagles winning the 1995 3A state championship and making the quarterfinals or better three times in the late ’90s.

Murray County is very similar, with the Indians having not made the playoffs since 2005. However, the turn of the millennium saw Murray County make the playoffs five times in six years. During that time frame, they won two region titles and made the quarterfinals in 2000. Washington has seen the most success recently, making the playoffs four times in the past seven years. However, much of that success came from the Bulldogs taking advantage of a weak region, with the team not having beaten a team with a winning record since 2014. The team was a power in the late ’90s and early 2000s, making the playoffs eight times between 1997 and 2005, winning three region titles, reaching the second round six times, and making the quarterfinals once. All three of these programs have the potential to return to their past success.

Each school just needs to find a coach willing to build each program and deal with the limitations of each school.

KIPP Atlanta is the newest school looking for a new coach in 2A. Opening in 2013, the Warriors have only made the playoffs once, in 2016. Under coach James Briscoe, KIPP maintained its position, as it had since making the playoffs. Briscoe left the young program after going 6-23, bringing some continuity to a program that had three coaches in the four years prior to his arrival. The Warriors will look to follow the path set by schools like Hapeville Charter, another south Fulton charter school that has been very successful on the gridiron.

Around the class boys - In Region 1, Carver-Columbus continued its dominance to start the new year, defeating Spencer 77-28 Saturday. … Morgan County won its third straight region game of the new year to stay unbeaten in region play, defeating Jackson 70-45. … Tattnall County extended its winning streak to 12 with victories over Appling and Toombs counties on Friday and Saturday. The Warriors will play Cook on Friday before a showdown with Crisp County for first place in the region. … Burke County secured a big Region 4 win over Thomson on Saturday, winning a nail biter 69-65 to take control of first place in the region. … In Region 6, Columbia and South Atlanta are preparing for a big battle on Tuesday for first place in the region. It will be Columbia’s first game since Jan. 7 and South Atlanta’s first since New Year’s Eve. … Union County won its eighth straight game and fourth straight in region play, defeating Rockmart 79-40. The Panthers improve to 15-2 overall and 7-1 in region play. … After starting the season 5-10, Franklin County has started the new year strong with two big wins in Region 8 play. The Lions got a 70-52 victory over Stephens County and a 61-49 win against Prince Avenue Christian. The two wins propelled the Lions to first place in the region.

Around the class girls - In Region 1, Hardaway moved to 5-0 in region play, defeating Shaw 71-38. The Hawks play Sumter County on Tuesday to determine first place in the region standings. … Much like the boys, the Tattnall County girls are off to a fast start in the new year, winning their first five games, with the last three victories coming by no less than 17 points. Over the weekend, they defeated Appling County and Toombs County, putting the team firmly in first place in Region 3. … In Region 4, Thomson secured a big win over Burke County, handing the Bears their first region loss and keeping pace with Josey at the top of the region standings. … In Region 6, Drew Charter earned its first win in region play, defeating Salome 31-22 on Thursday to move to 1-1 in region competition. … Murray County stayed undefeated with a 62-44 victory over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe on Tuesday. The Indians improved to 8-0 in Region 8 play and 14-0 overall. … Franklin County secured a big win on Thursday, defeating Region 8 rival Prince Avenue Christian 60-43. The victory puts the Lions in a tie with Hebron Christian at the top of the region standings.

See the boys and girls latest Class 2A basketball rankings schedules below.

Boys Top 10 schedule