Today’s interviewee is new Valdosta coach Rush Propst, who was hired in April. Propst won state titles in 2014 and 2015 during an 11-year run at Colquitt County that ended in 2018. He was a volunteer assistant at UAB for one season before returning to high school football. Most Four Questions interviews follow a stricter format – four questions, four answers. This is essentially an excerpt from a longer conversation about various topics, and the questions are fitted to some of his more interesting comments. It picks up where the coach was discussing the best teams he’s ever coached. He said his 2018 team was his most talented at Colquitt, though it fell short in its title bid and finished 14-1.
Rush Propst, Valdosta head coach
1. Your last high school game wasn’t a fond memory for you. Colquitt County lost to Milton 14-13 in the 2018 Class 7A championship game. How does that game sit with you nearly two years later? “The thing that galls me more than anything, probably the reason I’m the head coach at Valdosta, is those back-to-back state championship losses. We had the ball game won in 2017 [against North Gwinnett, which won 19-17 on a seven-play drive and a field goal with no time on the clock]. If any one of those final seven plays had gone our way, we would’ve won. Then you go to ’18. If you played that game 10 times, you win it nine out of 10, maybe 24 out of 25. There’s no way we should lose that game. We just did not come to play. I didn’t get them ready. We didn’t have a good week of practice. I pride myself in details, especially in road games. We were 45 minutes late getting to the field. We had lots of problems in that game. It was just a complete debacle. I’ve seen that film one time, and I’m throw-up sick looking at it. That was probably the most talented team we had at Colquitt County. Everything just crumbled at our feet.”
2. So how did that loss lead you to Valdosta? “There are three reasons that I’m here. One is that it’s Valdosta. That’s first and foremost. I interviewed for the Valdosta job after the 2005 season [while at Hoover] and couldn’t leave that good team I had, and I wasn’t offered the job. I’ve wanted it for a long time. I really embrace that tradition. Two is that when I was at Hoover, all I cared about was winning state championships. [He won five there.] At Colquitt and Valdosta, all I care about is helping kids. Down here, there are a lot of kids that won’t go to college without football. I want to help these kids go to college and get their degree. Third is I wasn’t going to go out with back-to-back state championship losses. I’ve got more to me than that. I’m too much of a competitor and too much of a winner. So we’re going to go to Valdosta and make it what it should be.”
3. What kind of reception have you received from Valdosta, a former rival? [Propst was 7-4 against Valdosta in his time at Colquitt.] “It’s been really good. It’s been overwhelming, to be honest. We’re still getting started. I didn’t meet my team until June 8 and all my coaches until June 1. That’s why we’re working 18 hours a day. I’m not kidding you, we’ve been here 4:30 [a.m.] to 11:30 every night. But the people and the fans have been outstanding. Even through all the COVID stuff, I’ve probably met over 125 people at different functions, 10 people here, 15 there. I’ve been very fortunate to have Todd Cason as a superintendent. We worked together at Moultrie. I have a wonderful AD, Reginald Mitchell, who’s very efficient. Then our principal has come back for a year, Janice Richardson. She runs a good school. Having 100 percent support from your administration is the key to any coach being successful. Valdosta reminds me a lot of Hoover High School. It’s run very well. The teachers have been wonderful. I can’t tell you how many have come down to my office and stopped me in the hallways. There’s so much pride here. They’ve done everything in their power to make me feel comfortable and to help us win football games, and I’m appreciative of it.”
4. How does your team look so far, and how do you feel about the prospects of a full season? “It’s hard to say, through the pandemic, the loss of time, how do you know? We’ve got a talented football team, no question. We’ve got seven players just on offense that have the ability to be all-state. That’s all-preseason. None of that’s entitlement, just potential. I think Garcia is the best quarterback in the state. He could be one of the best at throwing a football that I’ve coached. He’s going to be a special player. We’ve got a lot of depth at that position. [Jake Garcia, a senior committed to Southern Cal and one of many Valdosta players that he talked up, transferred from a school in California, which postponed football into winter. Garcia just got clearance to practice with the team beginning with tonight’s intrasquad scrimmage.] ...
“As for playing a season, I think we can. I’m a glass half-full guy, but also a realist. At the end of the day, we need football. The kids need it. I can target about eight kids on our team and say they’re going to lose [college] opportunities if we don’t. I believe they need an opportunity and hope that’s not taken away. I’m not saying there’s not a bad virus out there. There is. We’ve had a few positives tests, and we were shut down a week. So I would just say there’s more reward than risk for these players.”
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