By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

BAY ST. LOUIS — The first casualty in the prep head football coaching circles in the “Southern Six” of this cycle was revealed Friday afternoon.

Officials at Bay High announced that head coach Katlan French had been relieved of his duties after two tough seasons. French went just 1-18 at the helm of the Tigers over the past two years, although that one win this season did earn Bay High a berth in the Class 4A South State playoffs.

School administration said in a social media post “In the coming days, the Bay/Waveland School District will begin the search for a new varsity head football coach at Bay High.

“We would like to take this opportunity to publicly express our sincere gratitude to Coach French for his contributions to our football program over the past two years. We deeply appreciate everything he has done and we wish him the very best in his future endeavours.”

French has been a head coach on the Gulf Coast for most of the past decade. He served six seasons as head coach at Biloxi from 2018-2023. He was then the defensive coordinator at Gulfport in 2024 before taking over in the Bay.

“First, I want to thank Sandra Reed, superintendent of the Bay/Waveland School District.” French told SouthMiss6 Sports Friday afternoon. “The support she provided to me and my family throughout our time here was as good as anyone could ask for. She is a true winner. and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with her. Bay-Waveland is a great school district filled with great people.

“Despite the obstacles we faced when we arrived, truly believe this football program is in a good position for the next coach. The players who were here when I arrived are still here. Some players who transferred to other schools before our arrival have returned, and the program now has a strong foundation of experience. More than 15 starters will return next season, along with another eight players who have played significant roles. There’s a lot of experience, and I hope to see these young men make a tremendous jump next year. They have worked through a lot, and they deserve to experience that success

“While I hate that our time together is coming to an end. I look forward to what the future brings for both of us. Go Tigers!”

During his tenure, the Tigers lost their first 16 games. And when combined with four losses to end the 2024 season before his arrival, that 20-game losing streak is a program record for Bay High in the modern era of prep football.

Bay High’s current campaign ended last Friday with a 42-0 road loss to Mendenhall in the opening round of the Class 4A South State playoffs.