For the Colquitt County Packer football team, there will not be one ring ceremony...

There will be two.

The Packers are the state champions for the second straight year, reaching an incredible feat of 30-0. They’re literally perfect.

So, they’ve got one down...

(Senior QB Chase Parrish poses with back-to-back state rings with Head Coach Rush Propst at the Banquet in February). Photo Courtesy: Chase Parrish

But there’s one to go- The National Championship ring ceremony, duh. 

The Packers are National Champions too, as announced by High School Football of America. The way it all works is based on a point system and mathematical data that claimed them this year’s National Champs. This will be Rush Propst’s first National Title (insert round-of-applause emoji here). It will add to his collection of 7 other state championship rings. 

So, he likes rings.

You might wonder: does the excitement of all that bling start to lose its luster (see what I did there)?

(Photo Courtesy: Senior QB Chase Parrish)

Nah.

“It’s all different,” he says. The first one is always special, obviously, just like any other “firsts” in life. You can’t pick one over the other. 

He also adds that the work to get to the top (again) was no easy task. 

When they won the state title last season (2014), he actually felt more like a “100-pound weight had been lifted” off of his shoulders. Before that, they’d lost 5 straight years in the postseason and that was “a hard pill to swallow.”

But this year’s victory was less of “a relief” and brought more jubilation. 

He says what they accomplished this year is something special because the playing field is much more competitive now than it’s ever been. 

The metro-Atlanta teams specifically are in beast-mode these days. The talent level is on an incredible rise. And he notes that in addition to that, the facilities are also getting better and better. Football in this state has always been great, but it’s exploded exponentially in recent years. Don’t believe me?

Propst reminded me of a cool little stat- that in 2015, there were more players drafted out of Georgia than ever before (The AJC and 247 Sports researched this) with 30 players out of the great state of Georgia making it to the big leagues.

Woooo! “That’s something to be proud of,” (cue the Montgomery Gentry music).

But here’s the thing, the party is over. Well, almost. 

The ring ceremony date for the National Championship bling is still up in the air. There are a few different plans in place before it goes down, but it could be as late as when spring ball starts rolling in late April or May. By that point, they’ll already be on to next season…

SPEAKING OF SPRING… WHAT’S NEXT?

Propst signed away his biggest recruiting class this year (25). 40 seniors, gone. 

And there are changes among the coaching staff: Six coaches, gone.  That includes three new coordinators. 

“Our backs are against the wall with a high expectation level. This will be one of the most difficult seasons I’ve coached.” 

Losing 40 seniors means losing a lot of talent and there will definitely be a learning curve with younger players from C.A. Gray Junior High School in addition to the coaching changes.

There’s a lot of pressure on this new team, because a lot of people are expecting the Packers to pull off a 45-0 run, but the truth is: you have no idea the amount of work that takes. 

This year, Propst felt like his team overcame a lot, including having the pressure of remaining perfect. “If you go 29-1, it feels like 5-5.”

*Side note- Here’s a fun fact for you: with 2 back-to-back state titles and a national championship title, Rush Propst has never - I repeat, never - had a 4 or 5-star player on his team since he’s been the head coach at CCHS. Let your brain think on that…

The pressure continues to mount in preparation for the next season. Team installation is set to start on April 18 and they’re anticipating spring ball could begin around May 4th or 5th. 

All this talk has me like… “Is it football season yet?” We’ve got your backs year round here at GPB Sports.

See y’all next time! Bye.