Today’s interviewee is Chris Beckham, the host of the Chick-fil-A Football Friday Night radio show heard on several stations across south Georgia and online at www.valdostatoday.com. It is the only high school football scoreboard show in the country that broadcasts six consecutive hours of studio coverage of the sport. Beckham has been covering Georgia high school football for newspapers and radio for more than 30 years.
Chris Beckham, football radio show host
1. The biggest game in south Georgia tonight is Lowndes vs. Colquitt County. Who do you favor, and why? “I know that both teams are in the top 10 in 7A in scoring, but the first thing that stands out with me about them is their defense. There will be seven or eight guys on that side of the ball who will be playing Division I ball next year, and both teams force a lot of turnovers and put offenses in a lot of tough situations. Both teams have playmakers on offense too, but I don’t think it will be a shootout. As far as picking a favorite, I think it could be decided by a turnover or a big play late. I would be shocked if either team wins going away.”
2. Lowndes has a new coach, Jamey DuBose. How well have you gotten to know him, and what is your impression? How is he different than his predecessor, Randy McPherson? “Aside from being a great coach, which I think is pretty evident by his past and by what he’s done at Lowndes this year, Jamey is an enthusiastic spokesman for the program. You can’t help but feel like his attitude is infectious with his players and anyone else involved with the program. His personality is about as different from Coach McPherson as it can be, which just shows that either way can be successful. There’s no doubt the Viking fan base has embraced him.”
3. Colquitt also replaced a coach who’d had great success, so that’s something the two teams have in common. What’s your impression of Justin Rogers (who replaced Rush Propst in 2019)? “I like Coach Rogers a lot, but I still don’t think he’s gotten the full endorsement from Packer fans. That’s not surprising since he’s following such a successful coach and because of how Coach Propst’s time ended in Moultrie. That was going to be tough on whoever the successor was. I think the win over Valdosta earlier this year was big for him, and a win over Lowndes would be even bigger. He’s also a real energetic guy and a very good coach. He just came into a much different situation than Coach DuBose.”
4. Is the Jake Garcia saga still on the minds of high school football fans in south Georgia? What do your callers and others you talk with think about his journey and the fact that he’s now at Grayson, which affects Lowndes and Colquitt, the teams right behind Grayson in the rankings? “It’s not so much on the minds of south Georgia fans as much as it is an issue with Valdosta fans. Garcia’s situation was so complicated and got so much attention that it’s not surprising that Wildcat fans think it wasn’t fair to them. Their anger isn’t directed at the Garcias, but they think they weren’t treated fairly by the GHSA, which I understand even if I don’t agree with it. But it’s like most things in sports. Winning forgives most things. If Valdosta challenges for a state title this year, and they have the talent to do that, you won’t hear much about it anymore. I will say that it’s been great for talk radio. Beginning with Coach [Alan] Rodemaker’s firing in late January, the prolonged coaching search, Propst’s hiring, and then the Garcia thing, I should send someone over there a thank you card. It’s given our listeners plenty to talk about.”
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