Rocky34

Coach Fitzgerald did an awesome job everywhere he has been in the metro school system. A man of high character and he will be sorely missed on the grid iron by many.

interview process is complete and they have officially named Nick Bryant as their new football coach. Coach Bryant is a good guy and I'm happy for him and his family. I think if given time, he can do some good things with the program.

I don't think Coach Bryant has been coaching any the last few years. He is a good guy and not really sure why he was fired in the first place. I have always believed that Grundy Co. can compete with all the valley teams and be very competitive year in and year out in their region. Here is the problem fella's. We have always had a school board that thinks they can make any personnel decision they want and they hire/fire people as they wish. 9 member board so the first side to 5 always wins. That's not their job as board members. That responsibility lies with the director of schools. The school board can only hire/fire the director but our board thinks it applies to everyone up here. Because our board members are always changing, personnel decisions are always changing and coaches from the outside know that. I hate to say this but a good football coach would be crazy to come up here and take over our program. Whoever the new coach is, it will be a short term stay (normally 3 years max). The current school board has known since before the end of last season that they were going to get rid of Hayworth and bring in Bryant. This whole interviewing/hiring process is a joke. The board has been taking some heat for the way they let Hayworth go and this whole interview committee thing was set up just to try and make it look like the deal wasn't already made behind the scenes. The board can't even agree on who to interview. Some board members don't want to interview the best candidates because they want Bryant to be the top choice. That's fine, hire him and let's get started with the 2021 season. They have wasted 5 months of preparation for the new coach because they are always bickering among themselves and making deals with each other and not the director. And it's not just the new director they don't support. They are consistent and never allow any director to make the important decisions for the school system. I will always be a yellow jacket supporter but I'm honestly ashamed for the way we handle things here.

Headhunter42, you are spot on! You appear to have a lot of common sense...would you consider running for the Grundy County School Board??

Raider, The 5 members of the school board have already made their decision and sent out marching orders to the new director. They wanted Hayworth out and Coach Bryant in. Word is they are now trying to buy a little time making it look like it wasn't a done deal before Hayworth was even let go. It will be Coach Bryant according to the school board "chief". Don't know what they are waiting on. They need to get Coach Bryant finalized and quit wasting more time.

Sounds like 5 of the school board members wanted Hayworth out so that they could put in Nick Bryant. There 9 school board members and the majority of the major decisions come down to a 5-4 vote. That is good for Nick but the revolving door will likely continue. Not hearing good things about the new director so I would be surprised if he stays past this school year. With a new director and an new school board every couple years, things are constantly going to be changing here on the mountain.

Give us the right coach and we will have a winning program. The rumor mill has the Bryant's back in charge of the program. Whoever it is needs to have experience at being a successful high school football coach and treating kids with love/respect. I will always believe in our kids here. Just don't think those in charge always make the right hires or hire the best candidates. We will see in time for sure.

Hey Raider, sounds like they may have pulled the plug on Hayworth yesterday. That came from a pretty reliable source. Waiting to hear more.

that sounds like the director of schools that they just hired from Memphis. I think unless the school board forces a change, it will be the same ole crew for 2021.

I've said it many times before Raider, Grundy county could be (should be) very successful in football. Really good facilities and tough hard nosed kids live on the mountain. If we would ever get the right guy in charge of our program, Grundy Football could be as competitive as any football program in the Sequatchie Valley. Yes, we had some good coaches and leadership in the program in the 90's.

Nothing. I got nothing. Lot's of grumbling but no action on the mountain.

Raider -I thought the new GCHS prinicpal might make the change since he has always been an advocate for the students. I'm sure he doesn't know much about athletics so the coach is probably safe unless the school board does something.. I've been told the new director is a weird dude and stays very much to himself. No one expects him to rock the boat while he is here which sounds like may only be the spring semester.

LTCB, if you applied you are the #1 candidate. If they can't find you a teaching position, that just shows you how unimportant football is to the high school coach and the administration.

NFL playing experience and Successful High School Coaching Ability have ZERO Correlation Grundy Co. Administration...just saying what everyone else already knows.

They haven't been in the weight room! This guy will use any excuse to cancel practice or a workout session. It is beyond me why Grundy would want to keep this guy around. I have never seen the field or the football facilities look so bad. I am so discouraged for our younger players coming up. They are not going to want to play football with everything in such disarray within the program. It is my understanding that they have no one to run the jr. jacket program and only 1part time assistant coach at the varsity level. I'm afraid our program may sink so far that it may never be able to recover.

What are you hearing Raider?? I have been out of pocket and do not know any additional information. I think the middle school coach was driving in from Crossville every day. Not a good situation there either. The high school varsity head coach has got to be involved with that program and it was obvious that he didn't have any interest in doing so.

It could be a good thing. I thing they have grown a lot since last time they coached and things ended on a sour note. From where we are currently at, it would be a huge improvement.

Raider, those in charge here on the mountain don't even know what's going on. Not sure the newly hired superintendent from Memphis is even coming. The biggest rumor I'm hearing is that the interim director may stay and if that happens he will hire one or both of the Bryant brothers to coach the football team next year. Who know? It is Grundy County

Hey Raider. I don't really think anything will happen. They have hired a guy from Memphis to come here to Grundy to be the new Director of Schools. Why is the world would a guy from Memphis even consider packing up and moving to Grundy? Especially one that was demoted as a principal from a high school? I see that being as successful as hiring a former NFL player to come to Grundy and expecting him to be the Nick Saben of football. Our school board just doesn't understand how a functional school system is supposed to be run. New board members come and go, all with their own personal agenda, and try to make the decisions the director should be making. When the director doesn't comply, they are out the door. That's the grundy county way brother. If they would be smart enough to get a good, honest hometown guy like Jamie Rueling or Paul Conry to be the director and leave them alone to do their job (which is to make the important decisions for the school system), grundy could probably settle on a football coach that would make a difference here. Until then, same song, different verse brother.

Its been quite here on the mountain to Raider. I get the feeling the admin just hopes all the complaining about the coaches and the football program stops and folks up here will forget about it until next year. I've been a Yellow Jacket fan since 1977 and I will continue to be. It's just a shame our football program, and our school system, is always in such shambles. Our kids are always the ones that suffer and our adults are always the ones that bicker. That's the Grundy County way unfortunately.

Shoot Raider, I don't ever know what they are going to do up here. I just know the program is in a mess and every time I think it has bottomed out, it seems to sink a little bit deeper. If they get a new person to lead the football program I hope they do it quickly to give a new hire time to get in here and implement his program/philosophies before Christmas Break. In my opinion, waiting until the spring to make a change puts a new person way behind in a program that is already way behind. Those are my thoughts Raider man

I disagree the statement made that there is not a lot of talent in Grundy the last 5-6 years. There has been talent in Grundy for the last 40 plus years. Does all the talent choose to play football each year? No, they do not but the talent is there. If we ever get the right hire made here, that will invest in our boys, you can mark it down that the yellow jackets can and will start winning. Raider, I feel like we will get thumped tonight but anyone that is able to watch the game will tell you afterwards that there was a lot of fight in our kids and they never quit. Unfortunately, you will also probably here that our coaches do not have a clue what they are doing which is most likely true.

Cannon was quarantined the week we were to play them

It will definitely be a running clock the 2nd half if Red Bank plays their starters the entire first half. No doubt there is a huge difference in the talent level between the two teams. I will always say that Grundy County has athletes to compete with the rest of the valley schools. The admin has to find a good coach that will invest in our kids and that has always been the problem.

The Bryant's were excellent individuals to coach football here on the mountain. They definitely made some mistakes I think with overseeing the program but they were mistakes made due to inexperience. Grundy should have worked with them and invested in, as you say, their "own". There has to be change of leadership in the football program for things to have a chance to get better. The current coach may make a very good assistant coach??