Chris Kirksey takes over at Marion County
Quick facts
Coach: Chris Kirksey, first year; 0-0 at school, 50-62-1 overall
Assistant coaches: Billy Law, defensive coordinator, Richard McCorkle, offensive coordinator, Luke Jernigan, Willie Williams, Wayne Johnson, Kevin Douglas
2015 record: 10-2, lost in Class A-public quarterfinals
Region: GHSA 4-A-A
Breaking down the team
The Good: Former coach Mike Swaney did an excellent job of building the program to a point where it can withstand significant losses. Mykelle Kelley and Quentez Battle form a great pair on offense, and the defense will continue to be strong. Despite losing Swaney, the staff remained almost entirely together.
The Bad: But make no mistake, losing Swaney as coach and Lorenzo Smothers to graduation are significant losses. We caught a glimpse of the Eagles sans Smothers when he was injured in the playoffs last year, and they were definitely not as explosive as they had been.
Our take: Chris Kirksey is an experienced coach who will get the most out of this team. There is still a lot of talent to continue to be one of the better teams in Class A-public. Every year, the Eagles’ goal should be a state championship. This year is no different.
Roster
No. | Name | Cl. | |
2 | Mykelle Kelley | 12 | |
3 | Quentez Battle | 11 | |
4 | Josh Rodgers | 10 | |
5 | Tyrese Brown | 12 | |
7 | Willie Davis | 11 | |
10 | Josten Tymes | 10 | |
11 | William Long | 12 | |
14 | Jalen Tullis | 11 | |
15 | Terrance Williams | 10 | |
16 | J.J. Fuller | 12 | |
17 | D.J. Kelley | 12 | |
18 | Jamon Tymes | 11 | |
20 | Trajan Josey | 12 | |
21 | Travon Matthews | 10 | |
22 | Kenjavis Poole | 12 | |
24 | Hykeem Walton | 12 | |
26 | Thad Hudson | 11 | |
27 | Walker Starr | 10 | |
28 | Phillip Dixon | 10 | |
30 | Justin Brannon | 10 | |
32 | Lorenzo Ramsey | 11 | |
44 | Jake Janovsky | 10 | |
46 | Wildredo Vail Mendez | 10 | |
52 | KaBrian Moses | 10 | |
53 | Ramon Rios | 10 | |
55 | Thomas Nguyen | 11 | |
56 | Tyler Morgan | 12 | |
58 | Arthur Royal | 10 | |
59 | Brayden Cook | 10 | |
60 | Kwandarius Rushin | 12 | |
62 | Jordan Tillman | 12 | |
63 | Zack Banks | 10 | |
65 | Bradley Sontay | 11 | |
67 | Kentavious Thornton | 10 | |
70 | Austin Connor | 11 | |
75 | Cole Wilmer | 12 | |
77 | L.T. Wharton | 12 | |
78 | Bradley Bell | 10 | |
82 | Keiston Statum | 10 | |
84 | Demarque Thornton | 11 | |
85 | Jakobe Mathis | 10 | |
86 | Brian McGhee | 10 | |
87 | Markell Sampson | 10 | |
88 | Nick McKenzie | 10 | |
89 | Akeem Slaughter | 10 | |
99 | Kadarrius Hartage | 12 |
2016 schedule
Date | Game | Time |
Aug. 19 | at Schley County | 7:30 p.m. |
Aug. 26 | at Chattahoochee Co. | 7:30 p.m. |
Sept. 9 | at Pacelli | 7:30 p.m. |
Sept. 16 | Lamar County | 7:30 p.m. |
Sept. 23 | Manchester | 7:30 p.m. |
Sept. 30 | at Greenville | 7:30 p.m. |
Oct. 7 | Brookstone | 7:30 p.m. |
Oct. 14 | Central-Talbotton | 7:30 p.m. |
Oct. 28 | Region Crossover | TBA |
Nov. 4 | Region 4 Play-in | TBA |
2015 results
Date | Game | Results |
Aug. 28 | Miller County | W, 40-6 |
Sept. 11 | Dooly County | W, 50-12 |
Sept. 17 | Columbus | L, 21-14 |
Sept. 25 | Schley County | W, 46-0 |
Oct. 2 | Pacelli | W, 34-7 |
Oct. 9 | Brookstone | W, 40-0 |
Oct. 16 | Hawkinsville | W, 20-7 |
Oct. 23 | Greenville | W, 47-8 |
Oct. 30 | Taylor County | W, 54-12 |
Nov. 6 | Central-Talbotton | W, 55-0 |
*Nov. 20 | Twiggs County | W, 22-20 |
*Nov. 27 | Commerce | L, 20-7 |
*Playoffs |
This story was originally published August 21, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Chris Kirksey takes over at Marion County."