Meigs'Curt Jones resigns

photo In this file photo, Curt Jones speaks with Central High School's Michael Gortney during football practice.

Curt Jones has resigned as Meigs County football coach.

Jones, the former Central coach who took the Meigs County job last year, confirmed that he had turned in a letter of resignation Tuesday morning.

"What I told the kids was that after several lengthy discussions with Coach Baker [Clint, the principal] and [Meigs County superintendent] Don Roberts, we had agreed that in the best interest of the program that a change of direction was needed," Jones said.

The Tigers were 2-8 in his season after succeeding Stan Eller.

"He's going to look for something else to do," Baker said. "There were some issues and we both felt we needed to move on. But I will say that Curt did a heck of a job. The kids were working. He had instilled some work ethic, and he had put some energy back in our football program."

Jones said he will work the rest of the term at the Decatur school and has great respect for Roberts and Baker.

"Nobody is walking away angry," Jones said. "Things just weren't aligned in the right way."

There had been rumors that Roberts and Baker were caught off guard by Jones' intent to hire Billy Vestal, who had resigned as an assistant at McMinn County.

"That's not what prompted [the resignation], although it was an issue," said Baker, who declined to identify other specifics. "There were several things that happened through the year. I had never met [Vestal]. It wasn't good the way it was handled, but there were several things that didn't go the way I had anticipated."

Baker has begun the search for the school's third football coach in four years.

"We'll move as quick as we can. I don't have anything [specific] going yet," Baker said. "Spring practice hasn't yet happened. We are scheduled to start on May 9 and we have two scrimmages lined up. We want to move as quickly as possible, but I don't want to make a rash decision."

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