North Augusta Head Coach Resigns

[Damefan]

North Augusta High School’s football coach Jim Bob Bryant resigned Monday afternoon after coaching two seasons.

https://www.wrdw.com/2021/12/13/north-a ... h-resigns/

[Damefan]

When asked about the reasons for Bryant’s leave of absence and why he resigned, the district said “We do not have any comment on his resignation.”

https://www.wjbf.com/csra-news/north-au ... h-resigns/

[CITYSLICKER]

NORTH AUGUSTA SHOULD BE IN AUGUSTA

[Penguin]

We played them in round 2. They were a hot mess, at best.

[NAmAN]

You're right Penguin, we were a total wreck when we played you. It was a rough season from the very beginning. We had 4 kids transfer to one of our region opponents before the season began. Three were juniors and 2 started on the varsity offensive line as sophomores and are big kids. All 4 would have probably been starters. We lost another kid due to a health issue. He was a 3 year starter and was 6 foot 4 and about 260. As the season wore on one of the best defensive linemen left. He was 6 foot 1 and about 230. He was very good and a junior. We then had several more very good players leave before the season ended. Quite a few of the remaining young players have said they will transfer before next season. Hopefully they will change their mind. As far as the coach leaving, no one is saying a word.

[Penguin]

You're right Penguin, we were a total wreck when we played you. It was a rough season from the very beginning. We had 4 kids transfer to one of our region opponents before the season began. Three were juniors and 2 started on the varsity offensive line as sophomores and are big kids. All 4 would have probably been starters. We lost another kid due to a health issue. He was a 3 year starter and was 6 foot 4 and about 260. As the season wore on one of the best defensive linemen left. He was 6 foot 1 and about 230. He was very good and a junior. We then had several more very good players leave before the season ended. Quite a few of the remaining young players have said they will transfer before next season. Hopefully they will change their mind. As far as the coach leaving, no one is saying a word.

I don't mean that to be derogotory, but I've never seen such an undisciplined NA team. We were beating them pretty bad and they were still jawing and acting as if they were winning. The tailback was about the only player out there that night, that seemed prepared to play a playoff game. I hope that they can get things turned around. That is a proud program and one would think that more could be expected. I was disappointed in what I saw.

[NAmAN]

You're correct Penguin. We have played undisciplined ball for several years and it's not getting better. Hoped the new coach would change this but it hasn't happened. We played North Myrtle Beach two years ago in the playoffs and we had them stopped on third and long but after the play one of our guys hit someone well after the play. Instead of punting they had a first down and scored a few plays later. It was a big mistake because the game went to OT and we lost. First thing I would love to see is a new coach that has control of this problem. He doesn't have to be a big name coach. I think a young coach would be great also, someone who can relate to the kids. A coach that shows enthusiasm when the kids come off the field would be nice to see also. Personally, I would take Dan Pippin back. I don't know what happened in Greenwood but he was great for us. But that won't happen.

[Penguin]

I think that you hit the nail on the head when you said that the coaches aren't relating to the players. Today's teens are a different breed, and require a different touch. We brought in Davonte Holloman and he was an immediate success. The kids responded to his style of coaching and when he left to go back home to South Pointe, Bryce Lybrand stepped up and continued his roadmap.

I saw that more and more ex-NFL players are becoming HS coaches now. I think that is a great way for them to give back, and a great way for kids to relate. Perhaps that is the type of solution that would get the NA program headed back in the right direction. Anyhow, best of luck, and never lose faith. When things are at their worst, there is only one way to go. Those Jackets will be back soon. I can feel it.

[Damefan]

You're correct Penguin. We have played undisciplined ball for several years and it's not getting better. Hoped the new coach would change this but it hasn't happened. We played North Myrtle Beach two years ago in the playoffs and we had them stopped on third and long but after the play one of our guys hit someone well after the play. Instead of punting they had a first down and scored a few plays later. It was a big mistake because the game went to OT and we lost. First thing I would love to see is a new coach that has control of this problem. He doesn't have to be a big name coach. I think a young coach would be great also, someone who can relate to the kids. A coach that shows enthusiasm when the kids come off the field would be nice to see also. Personally, I would take Dan Pippin back. I don't know what happened in Greenwood but he was great for us. But that won't happen.

I have heard through friends in NA that the booster club has developed too much say in the goings-on with selection and control of the football program. NA is going to have to probably rebuild that program from the ground up. The kids today are emulating the college kids more. "If I can't play I will go somewhere else". Also, you have competition that Dan Pippin didn't have to deal with, Fox Creek. The surprise to me was the number of kids I heard that went across the river to Augusta. Dan built his program from the Rec league through the middle schools. All the MS coaches used his system and that helped in the development of small-town programs. Their needs to be that is small towns. Look at Abbeville and Silver Bluff. Too many schools are taking advantage of the title "Charter" to allow anyone to come to their school. It will kill the small towns between that and year-round programs.

As far as Pippin I think that is a total reach that probably won't happen again. Greenwood was in the wrong classification and he tried to get them back where they needed to be. Plus they had again too many options for the kids than were there in the past. The coach that is there has a real chance as long as they don't get reclassified. He is a hometown individual and Greenwood always takes care of their own unless you were Willis Burkett. Pippin didn't forget how to coach any more than Mack Brown did at Texas. He is obviously still having success. Maybe there were circumstances beyond his control, or maybe it wasn't a good fit, who knows what is actually going on inside a program.

My concern for both Greenwood and North Augusta is that based on the guidelines for the reclassification is that both of you could go to AAAAA. Neither team has the firepower to compete at that level consistently. Sorta like Cinncinati facing a power 5 school, you might beat them once in a blue moon but not weekend and out. "Slick" might agree with me but Berkeley is in the same boat, they chose to play AAAAA because of travel cost. They would be very competitive in AAAA. Some teams in the state are just not competitive in football but remain competitive in the sports. J.L. Mann and Wando are perfect examples. Maybe it is coaching and maybe it is too many white-collar (Golf, Tennis, Swimming, basketball, and baseball where club teams have taken over) kids in those schools.

Please know this is only my opinion and while I feel strongly about the change in attitudes today from even 30 years ago, Knotts is proving fundamental development is key to success. You don't have to be the biggest team to win, but you do have to have the appropriate numbers in players, competition (iron sharpens iron), desire, and discipline to achieve success. Fort D has 3 of the 4 which is why I have said many times they should have won a couple of titles and haven't.

Keep an eye on Irmo, he is teaching the same thing Knotts is. Dorman's new coach will be interesting to see if he can keep the level of success or if he is a not a good fit. Merry Christmas!

[GwoodEagle2k1]

First of all I hate to hear what's going on at North Augusta. Y'all have a proud tradition down there and I hope you guys can get it back going.

The main reason I'm commenting is because Greenwood was mentioned in regards to Dan Pippin by someone (Damefan) who's not close to the program and doesn't have a clue about Greenwood football.

The reasons Pippin didn't work at Greenwood is because he refused to change what didn't work. Pippin runs an RPO type spread offense. I'd say 4 of the 6 years he was at Greenwood we didn't have the personnel for that offense. The 2 years we did have the personnel he couldn't win a region title. Lost to a 4-5 Laurens team the 1st time we could have won it. Lost to a 4 loss Hillcrest team in which we scored 44 points at home and didn't get it done. Greenwood's culture is power football under center. Most years that's our personnel and he refused to change. Another reason is he couldn't relate to the kids like we hoped he would. Chris Liner has only been the HBC at Greenwood for a year and a half and had already won region. We run the flexbone because it matches our personnel the best. Therefore we are successful. If we don't have the personnel to run the flexbone Liner will change it to whatever we have the personnel for. You have to put your kids in the best possible situation for them to be successful. Dan Pippen didn't do that. Pippin is a great coach if you have a good quarterback that can run the spread. I wish it would have worked out better but it didn't. No sour grapes. He just wasn't a good fit for Greenwood and I wish him nothing but the best. Just my opinion because I don't know but I figure he's a great fit for North Augusta because he knows y'all's culture. It's more than just x's and o's. I wholeheartedly agree that 5A is really hard. But we started losing to teams that hadn't beat us in 10 plus years. Laurens, Easley, Hanna, woodmont ECT... I gave him a pass on Hanna because they were legitimately really good at the time. But not the others. Just an opinion by a Greenwood fan/alumnus who's actually close to the program. Best wishes to North Augusta getting y'all's program back on track.