By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Avoiding the program’s first winless season with a win against a county rival wasn’t enough for Josh Ingram to come back for a fourth season as head football coach at Veterans.

          That decision came Friday after he met with principal Amy Barbour. Athletics director Chad Simmons said in an email late Friday afternoon that Ingram resigned.

          The Warhawks went backward in Ingram’s three seasons, from 5-5 to 3-7 to 1-9, the latter ending up as the worst record in Veterans’ 15-season history.

          Ingram was promoted from offensive coordinator to replace Milan Turner, who went 23-21 in four seasons as Veterans’ second head coach.

          David Bruce, who started the program, went 31-54 in eight seasons with a Region 2-AAAA title in 2013, the team’s fourth season.

          Ingram played at Eagle’s Landing, starting his college career at alma mater Maryville College before joining the Lakeside-Evans staff in 2010 as offensive coordinator. He moved to the Thomson staff for three years, and then was hired by Turner at Veterans in 2018.

          All three of Ingram’s three years as head coach were spent in one of the toughest regions in the state in any class, Region 1-6A for two years and 2-5A this year.

          All four Region 2-5A teams that made the playoffs – Lee County, Thomas County Central, Coffee, and Houston County – are still alive and in this week’s quarterfinals.

Thomas County Central went undefeated last year to win the 6A title, the same year Coffee won the 5A title out of a different region. Lee County won consecutive titles in 2017-18 and reached the 2020 finals, and is in its third quarterfinal in the last four years.

          That region stays intact for next year.

          Veterans went 5-5 in Ingram’s first year, 1-4 in region play, losing four of its last five.

          Ingram’s departure is the second from the region. Northside’s Ben Bailey officially resigned on Nov. 4 after going 6-15 in two seasons.

          The only other Central Georgia official vacancy is at Tattnall. John Abernathy resigned on Friday to focus on his administrative position as middle and upper school principal, as well his family and three children.