By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

LUCEDALE — George County High is in search of a new head football coach.
James Ray stepped down from his post with the Rebels after five seasons Friday morning after he was named as the new Chief Operating Officer/Athletics Director Thursday night for GCHS at the monthly meeting of the George County District School Board meeting.
He also gave up his role as Athletics coordinator, which he held for the past five months after then COO/AD Chris West was terminated. At the same meeting on Thursday night, current and veteran Rebels head baseball coach Brandon Davis was named to the AC post as well, which basically works in the same capacity as does an AD in most other high schools across the state of Mississippi.

Ray steps down after recording a mediocre 25-30 record over the past five years that included a 16-15 record in region play. He did, however, lead the Rebels to their first playoff win in 17 years this season when they went on the road to Soso and upset then defending Class 6A state champion West Jones 26-22 in the opening round of the Class 6A South State playoffs.
George County made the playoffs three times in Ray’s five years at the helm, but with just one postseason win to show for it. George County is coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2015-16.

Ray’s biggest nemesis during his tenure was perennial state Picayune, as he went 0-5 against the Maroon Tide over the past four seasons including a pair of losses this season. After that win over West Jones, Picayune thumped the Rebels 63-40 to end Ray’s last campaign.

The next head football coach will be the fifth in the past 15 years since Al Jones stepped down after the 2010 season. This marks the longest such stretch with that many head football coaches in program history since a span from 1989-2000 when the Rebels employed six different head football coaches.
Ray was handed the Athletics Coordinator job in August after West was arrested by the George County Sheriff’s Office in late August and charged with one count of Possession of Child Pornography and one count of Distribution of Child Pornography.
West took over the job as COO/AD in 2022 after serving as Transportation Director.

With Ray now moving into the COO/AD role, his predecessor will be picked by Davis, who just led his alma mater to its first state baseball state championship in 26 years years last season. It was just the second state title on the diamond ever for GCHS, after Davis helped lead the Rebels to the 1997 crown as a standout catcher.
While he has won 400 games as a head basebell coach, his first duty as the new AC before he begins defense of his state baseball championship will be to identify and name a new football head coach. A search is expected to begin immediately.