Rush Propst wins eighth state title, first since Colquitt County in 2015
Rush Propst, who recently expressed interest in returning to coach in Georgia, won his sixth Alabama state championship on Friday.
Coosa Christian defeated Lanett 29-22, with a 22-yard touchdown run by Coosa Christian’s quarterback with 22 seconds left in the game securing the Conquerors’ win.
“Lotta fight and grit. They have been resilient all year long,” Propst said after the game.
Coosa Christian, a 2A program located in Gadsden, Alabama, hired Propst as interim coach in August after suspending former coach Mark O’Bryant for allegedly misrepresenting how many games an ineligible player participated in last year, according to MaxPreps.
Before the state championship, Propst told ITG Next that he doesn’t know what he’s doing next season and had offers to coach. He didn’t say if those opportunities are in Georgia.
“I’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” he said. “I’ll wrap up things with Coosa Christian and see what my plans are.”
Propst gained national attention when his Hoover program, which won five state titles from 2000-2005, was featured on the MTV series “Two-a-Days.”
Propst left Hoover for Colquitt County in 2008. He led the Packers to two GHSA Class 6A championships, in 2014 and ’15.
His time at Colquitt County was marred with controversy.
In 2016, Propst was reprimanded for inappropriate physical contact with a Colquitt County player, according to WALB.
Propst was relieved of his duties in 2019 in a unanimous vote by the Colquitt County Board of Education. An investigation afterward confirmed he had violated the Code of Ethics for Educators.
Propst also coached at Valdosta in 2020 and led the Wildcats to the state semifinals. However, Valdosta was ordered to forfeit seven victories from that season and was banned from the 2021 postseason, along with other penalties, for use of ineligible players.
About the Authors
Caitlyn Stroh-Page is the senior sports editor high school sports and college football at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Her resume includes stops at Sports Illustrated Kids, Scout.com, The (Macon) Telegraph, the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader and the Athens Banner-Herald. A South Georgia native, Stroh-Page lives in the Athens area.
Jack Leo is a sports writer and reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jack worked for the AJC throughout his four years studying journalism and sports media at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. He's now focused on telling stories in the grassroots: bringing comprehensive coverage of high school sports for AJC Varsity.
