Marion County head coach Ricky Ross paces the sidelines. The South Pittsburg Pirates visited the Marion County Warriors in TSSAA football action Saturday September 11, 2015 in Jasper.Looking to take the next step toward rejoining Division II-AA's elite football programs, McCallie has hired Marion County head coach Ricky Ross to become its new defensive coordinator.
Ross helped the Warriors reach the Class 2A state championship game in each of his two seasons as head coach, compiling a 25-4 overall record. Although they were runners-up both times, they allowed an average of just 15.9 points per game under Ross the past two years.
"He's a man of high character first and with a reputation for being a hard-nosed coach who really cares about his kids," Blue Tornado coach Ralph Potter said. "He's an excellent X and O coach, and we'll be competitive in our league because of that. He'll be a great addition to what we're trying to build, and we're very excited to have him and his family coming to join our community."
While McCallie's offense has been among the most prolific in the area, with the Blue Tornado averaging 35.6 points per game over the past three seasons despite playing one of the state's toughest schedules, the defense has struggled, particularly against Division II-AA competition.
McCallie has allowed an average of nearly 32 points per game against league competition over the past three seasons, losing six games during that span when scoring 31-plus points, and has given up an average of 39.4 points in 12 of its past 16 league games. Last year, McCallie allowed 33 or more points six times.
"This was just the best situation, long term, for my family," Ross said. "I love the kids I coach. And everybody knows that Marion County is going to have a great team next year. I think they have a chance to win it all next year, but I can't live in that moment, and that makes it tough.
"Looking at those young men you love and who've done what I asked them to do and telling them about this, that's as hard a day as I've had in my professional career. It doesn't mean I don't love them, but everybody has to do what's best for their family. (McCallie) has been a really good offensive team, and they've had some good parts, so I'd like to hope that we can make their defense better and add to the whole there."
McCallie hasn't advanced past the state quarterfinals since 2006, when it reached the championship game.
Ross, 42, also had great success as an assistant in northwest Georgia, with Calhoun winning eight straight region titles with him on the defensive staff. The Yellow Jackets reached Georgia's Class AA state championship game in all five years he was the defensive coordinator, winning the title in 2011.
After losing all but one starter from the 2011 defense, Calhoun steadily improved the following season, holding seven opponents to one touchdown or less while making an improbable run to another title game. During a 29-game winning streak over the 2011-12 seasons, Calhoun allowed just five opponents to score more than 14 points.
Prior to taking over at Marion, Ross, who played linebacker at Cumberland University, had spent his entire coaching career in the Peach State. Before joining the Calhoun staff, he had been the defensive coordinator at Landmark Christian, an Atlanta-area private school, and Adairsville. He also spent the 2013 season as defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Mary Persons, helping the Forsyth program hold six opponents to fewer than 10 points and finish 10-2.
"We were impressed that Ricky's priorities as a coach are much more about the life lessons, helping turn young boys into men of character, and things we believe in so strongly at McCallie," McCallie assistant headmaster Kenny Sholl said.
Marion County will now look to replace Ross, the fourth coach since 1996 to stay just two years at the program. Whoever is hired will be the Warrior's 10th head coach in the past 20 years. Ross was the school's athletic director as well.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.