By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          West Laurens has reached into Central Georgia for its newest head football coach.

          The Laurens County school board approved Mary Persons assistant Kip Burdette on Wednesday night to be the Raiders’ ninth head coach in this century alone.

          Burdette is a Mary Persons grad who played at Valdosta State, and has coached at Lowndes and Pierce County. He returned to Forsyth in 2017, adding to the Burdettes on the Mary Persons staff, with brother Dan and his father Pat, who was head coach for three years at Jasper County/Monticello in the early 1990s.

          He is a grandson of Mary Persons legend Dan Pitts, and also coached track for the Bulldogs.

          Burdette replaces Kagan McClain, who resigned in February and joined the staff at Bleckley County earlier this month. McClain was promoted from defensive coordinator to succeed Stacy Nobles, who resigned to go to Bleckley County as an assistant.

          The Raiders have had their best run under Nobles and McClain, each giving West Laurens a region title, the program’s second in 2014 and third in 2019. West Laurens has made the playoffs seven of the last eight seasons, also its best run.