VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) — Thursday was day one of spring practice for the Valdosta High School football team, a team that has had a lot to deal with over the past few months, but they haven't let anything faze them.
On Tuesday head coach Rush Propst's contract was not renewed by the Valdosta Board of Education. That decision comes on the heels of a Georgia High School Association investigation that found Propst and members of the Touchdown Club used incentives like money and gifts to lure kids to the program.
Acting head coach Shelton Felton arrived in Valdosta March 1. He was supposed to be the special teams coordinator and coach safeties, but things happened, and as Felton told ABC 27 Thursday, he was "ready to go."
He said he's been impressed by the Wildcats' work ethic so far, and many fans are impressed with him, calling for him to be the next head coach, but Felton said whatever happens next, happens.
"I take it one at a time and I've been blessed. I mean, if it's meant for me to be then God gone bless me to be it," he said Thursday. "It's my job to treat these men right and do it for them. And I know my line of work and how I do things if it's meant to be I'll be the man but until then I'm going to run the ship like it's mine. It's an honor to be here. If you told me years ago I'd never would have believed it but I'm here so I'm going to make the best of it and have a great time and the biggest thing is gonna have fun with it."
When we spoke with Superintendent Dr. Todd Cason Tuesday at Tuesday's school board meeting, he said there was no timeline in hiring a new head coach. Valdosta's spring game is May 15.
