Miguel Patrick, who led Cedar Grove to a Class 3A football title in 2019 with a victory over Crisp County in the championship game, will become Crisp County’s football coach Thursday, pending school board approval. Patrick confirmed the move after a meeting Wednesday evening with his players.
’'There’s overwhelming support there in the community, and the facilities and structure that they have in their program is second to none,’' Patrick said. “I really think that I can make a great impact there. It’s just a great football town.’'
Patrick, a long-time Cedar Grove assistant before becoming its head coach in 2019, will be joining another of Class 3A’s football powers. Crisp County avenged the 2019 state finals lost this past season, beating No. 1-ranked Cedar Grove 16-13 in the quarterfinals.
But Crisp County then lost to eventual champion Pierce County 25-13 in the semifinals in a game that Crisp County led 13-12 in the final minutes before two fumbles that were returned or recovered for Pierce touchdowns. Earlier this month, Crisp County fired Brad Harber, whose teams were 38-12 in four seasons and 11-2 in 2020.
Patrick had been the team’s defensive coordinator during state titles in 2016 and 2018 and also was the boys basketball coach for a time.
Patrick acknowledged that his dissatisfaction with DeKalb County Schools played a part in his decision. He didn’t feel coaches had enough input in COVID-19 protocols. DeKalb teams didn’t begin their regular season until October. He also felt county officials didn’t do enough to provide a practice field after his team’s regular field was resurfaced last season. Barred from two other nearby football fields, Cedar Grove practiced instead on a baseball field, Patrick said.
’'To be honest, it had a lot do do with the structure of DeKalb County,’' he said. “When you don’t feel you have the backing of the county, it makes it tough to continue to compete at a high level. So I just felt this was a better opportunity to be in for me and my family.’'
Cedar Grove was 3-5 in 2020 with four losses assessed by forfeit of games won while an ineligible player participated.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
About the Author
