A proven Coast football coach has landed back in South Mississippi
Long Beach High School has chosen a proven Coast coach to take over its football program.
The school announced on Monday that it has hired Ryan Ross, who stepped down in November as the head coach at Ocean Springs.
“My family enjoys the Coast,” Ross told the Sun Herald of his decision to take the job. “Long Beach became available and I got to talking with (school officials). I think it’d be a good fit.”
Ross replaces Phillip Pigott, who stepped down in December after two seasons. Pigott had a 4-18 record at Long Beach.
At Ocean Springs, Ross was 61-45 over nine seasons. The Greyhounds finished 5-7 and made the playoffs in 2019, his final season.
Ross coached previously at Loyd Star and was 17-14 over three seasons there.
Coach Ryan Ross will need to get to know new players
At Long Beach, Ross will be tasked with reviving a program that’s been in a steady decline in recent seasons.
“I don’t know if I’d call it a rebuild. Every school goes through cycles,” Ross said. “I have worked at some places where we’ve had to do a little extra here and there to be able to compete.
“I don’t particularly know anything about the players or their skill set. I know they have a tough schedule (in Region 4-5A). It’s going to be a challenge if anybody faces the same schedule they face. I welcome the challenge as far as a lot of folks don’t expect Long Beach to do much. I enjoy that. I’ll go in there and try to get things going, get those guys to believe in themselves.”
Ross remains on contract with Ocean Springs through the end of the school year, but he will have the opportunity to work with Long Beach players during spring practice.
Ross developed a reputation at Ocean Springs for adjusting his schemes to respond to the players he had available on the roster. At Long Beach, he’ll have to get a close look at his new players to decide the best path forward.
“It’s all about evaluating those guys and seeing what the coaches think we can do so we have a chance to be successful,” he said.
He has yet to meet his new players, but Ross wants them to understand that the road ahead will be demanding.
“The message is I’m going to work hard, the coaches will work hard and we will expect the same from the players,” Ross said. “We want to get positive stuff done and enjoy what we’re doing.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 5:20 PM.
