First Central Georgia coaching shoe to drop is a big one: Baldwin cuts loose Jesse Hicks

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          The first spin of the Central Georgia high school football coaching carousel is a surprising one.

          Jesse Hicks was let go Thursday morning at Baldwin, after the seventh season in his second stint with the Braves, and 15th overall at Baldwin.

          He went 110-60 with Baldwin, winning three region titles. He has a career mark of 133-108 in 22 seasons at three schools.

          “I was told (the school) was going in another direction,” Hicks told the Union Recorder of Milledgeville Thursday afternoon. “That’s all I can tell you.”

            As word of the move got out, there were disruptions among students at the school in protest of the firing.

            One social media post showed students chanting “We want Hicks, we want Hicks.”

            Principle Jason Flanders sent out a text message about the disruption, noting that Baldwin County deputies were on hand, and some social media posts state that the Georgia State Police were called. There is no indication of any injuries or damage.

            Social media was abuzz with support for Hicks .

          Hicks’ first stint at Baldwin went much better than his second.

          Baldwin was 0-9-1 in the final season of Darryl Silas in 2001, after going 2-18 the previous two seasons. The Braves went 8-3 in Hicks’ first season, and 6-6 in 2004 was the worst record under Hicks, who left after a second straight region title and 9-3 mark in 2009.

          Dexter Copeland was hired away from Twiggs County, and went 10-2, 8-3, 6-4, and 3-7 before he was dismissed. On came Lee Hannah, who went 7-5, 4-6, and 4-7 before he was dismissed.

          In that span, Hicks went 3-17 at Dougherty and then 20-31 at Central before returning to Baldwin in 2017.

          Baldwin won the Region 3-4A title in 2018 after starting 0-5 overall, and went to the playoffs every year upon Hicks’ return, even when going 4-7 in 2022. He went 40-36 in his second go ‘round.

          But the past two seasons have included some big or notable losses: 34-0 and 40-14 to Spalding, 26-22 to Westside, 48-20 to Ware County, 50-20 to Peach County, 23-14 to Putnam County, 40-14, 35-0 to Perry, and playoff losses 58-20 to Bainbridge and 41-0 to Benedictine.

          He is Baldwin’s most successful head coach by any measure.

          Of the head coaches with at least three seasons at Baldwin, Hicks is first in wins by 72 wins (Bill Young, 38-47, 1991-98) and with a winning percentage of 64.7 (Copeland, 27-17, 61.4 percent).

          And of the 10 former head coaches with at least three seasons, Hicks is one of six with a winning record.

          The 1990 Glenn Hills graduate played at Albany State, and began his coaching career there.