George County has a new football coach and he’s aiming for a ‘championship level.’
George County High School didn’t have to look far to find its new football coach.
James Ray, who has served as the defensive coordinator for the Rebels the last four seasons, was approved Tuesday night as the program’s new head coach.
He replaces Matt Caldwell, who stepped down at the first of the year after serving as head coach for four seasons. He now works in administrative role as director of athletics and operations for the George County School District.
This will not be Ray’s first chance as a head coach. He served as the football coach at Bruce High School in northern Mississippi for 10 campaigns with his last season there coming in 2015. He has also worked as a head baseball coach at high schools in Brighton, Tennessee, and Taylorsville. During his time at Taylorsville, he also was the softball coach for three years.
“Coach Caldwell called me and told me it was the right time for him to step down and re-energize,” Ray said. “He and I worked together as assistants at Taylorsville. We have a great relationship. I felt like it was the right move for me and my family. After four years of not being a head coach, it was time for me to get back into it. I’m excited to be a head coach again and I’m excited about George County. We had a successful year and we have a lot of guys coming back.”
George County finished 7-5 in Caldwell’s last season, reaching the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Region 3-6A.
Ray, 50, doesn’t plan to make any drastic changes to the program.
“It’s continuing what we’ve been doing,” he said. “This doesn’t feel like a brand new job. Coach Caldwell has given me leeway to do defensively what I want to do. It’s continuing on. We’ll continue the work he started here. He laid a great foundation for me to step in and continue.”
Ray serving as Caldwell’s right-hand man the last four years should make the transition a smooth one for the players.
“Our message to the players is to continue to do what you’ve been doing,” Ray said. “The guys know what to expect out of me, especially on defense. The offense will soon realize what I expect out players. We’re on a mission to bring the team back to a championship level.”
While sophomore running back Trent Howell and junior quarterback/defensive back M.J. Daniels return to give the Rebels some star power, they will have to replace eight starters on the defensive side — including star defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson.
Ray is confident that he and his staff can help build on a season that included a 24-20 win over eventual Class 6A South State champion Oak Grove.
“Our kids believe. They believe they can play with those guys,” Ray said. “You have an athlete like M.J. that can lead the offense and play defense. That’s unheard of in 6A to be able to compete on both sides of the ball. Trent Howell, as a sophomore, erupted on the scene. We knew he was talented, but we didn’t expect him to have the sophomore year like he had. He has two more years and that gives the run game stability. We can even put him out at receiver. On the O-line, they’ve all been three-year starters.
“We’re going to be a different team that will have to rely on offense early. We graduated eight starters on defense, one being the No. 1 defensive tackle in Mississippi (Jackson). One thing I’ve learned about George County is that our guys aren’t afraid to hit you. We’ll hold our own, but we need the offense to take care of us early.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 8:26 PM.
