Rush Propst, one of high school football's most flamboyant and controversial coaches, was back on the sideline Friday with Pell City (Ala.) for the first time in three seasons.
The Panthers, who went 1-9 last season, opened their season with a 28-24 loss against Moody. Propst was running the triple option and had a 10-7 lead at half before giving up 14 third-quarter points and another score in the fourth quarter. Pell City cut the lead to four points late in the game, but couldn't pull out the victory.
Often a lightning rod of controversy, Friday's game was nothing out of the ordinary as media reports had Propst tossing his headset toward his junior son Propst in order to prevent the wide receiver from escalating a fracas after a late hit.
The loss denies a 296th win for Propst, whose career has seen state titles, reality television appearances and plenty of controversy.
The 65-year-old coach had been hired as an assistant coach and athletic director at Coosa Christian in January 2023, but left the job 10 weeks later for Pell City.Prior to that, Propst had been out of football and battled a near-deadly bout of COVID after being fired from Valdosta (Ga.) in 2021 amid allegations of illegally recruiting five players, including Californian Jake Garcia. ...
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