GHSF Daily asked Georgia head coaches to answer these four questions. We'll report from a different head coach each day.
Rick Hurst, Eastside
1. Who is/was the most influential person in your coaching career? "Coach Tony Ball, now the receivers coach at Georgia. He was my receiver coach at UT-Chattanooga back in the early 1990s. The man knows how to coach. He is a fundamental guru at the position, and he motivated me daily to be a better player and human being. I would not have had the successes I have had in this profession without knowing and being coached by him. He was and still is a true inspiration to all that know him."
2. Who is the best Georgia player you ever faced? "Terrance Edwards, quarterback at Washington County. He single-handedly beat us for the AA state championship in 1996. I was in Americus, and we were up 21-0 with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. He led them back and ran in a botched PAT snap to win the game 22-21. Unbelievable athlete and leader."
3. What is the best team you ever faced as a coach? "Washington County, 1996. They had 10 or 11 D-I players on that team. We (Americus) had run through the playoffs with ease. They came out and played our spread offense with a 5-2 Cover 3 and never got out of it. Their front five controlled the line of scrimmage, and we could not run in the second half to seal the win when we had the lead. They were fast and physical."
4. If you were Gary Phillips, the new head of the GHSA, what would be the first rule that you would try to change? "I would like to see 16 regions in each classification with only the top two from each region advancing to the state playoffs. I think this would allow schools to play other schools that are nearby that would potentially create natural rivalries and increase revenue."
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