No football in 2020 for Twiggs County

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          It was done quietly in the middle of the month, with virtually no uprising on social media, but Twiggs County won’t be playing football this fall, or participating in any other sports or activities for nine weeks.

          The board of education voted on July 14 to start school virtually on Aug. 17 and go for nine weeks, and then reassess. But all extracurricular activities are suspended during the virtual time.

          That includes football. Twiggs County had fast-pitch softball and cross country last year.

          There was no release or public disclosure of the move, speculated on throughout the summer, based on the county’s COVID-19 situation.

          Superintendent Elgin Dixon announced the plan in the July 14 meeting, which is posted on the school’s Facebook page. It includes no students in the building for the nine weeks.

          That would allow for the resumption of activities in late October, too late for the fall sports. The high school football season starts on Sept. 4, and Oct. 30 would be the eighth game for the Cobras.

          Twiggs County competes in Region 7-A Public for 2020-22, with Glascock County, Georgia Military College, Wilkinson County, Crawford County, Hancock Central, Warren County, and ACE. Twiggs County was also scheduled to play East Laurens, Treutlen, and Greene County.

          Glascock County is not playing a region schedule again this year.

          The Twiggs County board’s website is, like a large number of districts in the state, incomplete and not updated. The last meeting listed with any published agenda is May 12, and the last meeting to include the minutes was held on Jan. 28. The last posted video of a meeting is March 12, 2019.

          It has nothing listed for “upcoming” meetings.

          The high school website, like a large number in the state, doesn’t have much current information, and has nothing on the state of the football program.

          The athletics page is blank.

          Irade Perry is reportedly still the team’s head coach, and would be entering his third year in 2020. Perry is the program’s ninth head coach since 2009, following Dexter Copeland (twice), Dexter Dawson, Josh Lowe, Jeb Stewart, Ashley Harden, Zackery Harris, and Kelvin Blackshear.

          The Cobras are in a 1-29 slump after going 8-4 in 2016, Twiggs County’s first winning season since going 11-2 in 2009, the final season of Copeland’s first stint with the program.