By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

ST. MARTIN — A former St. Martin standout is returning home.
Sources close to the situation have indicated to SouthMiss6 Sports that Darryl Warrick, who has been serving as an assistant boys coach at D’Iberville, is set to become the new girls head coach at St. Martin, his alma mater.
Warrick was a standout player for then and still current SMHS head boys coach Charlie Pavlus about 16 years ago. He is a 2010 graduate of the school. Warrick was a three-year starter during his playing days.
This will be the first head coaching job for Warrick, who is expected to be approved at the next Jackson County School Board meeting Monday night.
Warrick presvioulsy served as an assistant to Pavlus at St. Martin and has been an assistant for the Warriors for the past three seasons under DHS head coach Eric Vianney.

He is set to replace Jason Kennedy at the helm of the Lady Yellow Jackets, after Kennedy stepped down and took the same post at D’Iberville recently.
Kennedy replaced Robin Jefferies after her five years at the helm of the Lady Warriors.
During his four year stint at SMHS, Kennedy led SMHS to an overall Class 7A Final Four appearance in his second season in 2024, as well as a Region 4-7A title that season also. St. Martin also advanced to the second round of the Class 7A South State playoffs in 2025, and went a solid 85-36 under Kennedy’s guidance, including 25-7 in that 2023-2024 campaign.

Also, Kennedy’s top assistant during his entire tenure there, Nykesha Carter Jenkins, just left to become the head girls coach at her alma mater also, at George County.

Like Warrick at St. Martin, Jenkins is a former standout player for her alma mater, the Lady Rebels. a 2000 graduate of GCHS under her maiden name Nykesha Carter, earned all-star honors on both the basketball court and the softball diamond in her days leading the Lady Rebels programs. She was also a member of the GCHS track and field team that won four straight state championships freom 1997-2000, where she teamed up with Christy Fairley to help the school achive that historic milestone under head coach Melanie Black, who was also the basketball coach.

Neither St. Martin squad, nor the D’Iberville boys or the GCHS girls qualified for the state playoffs last season.