Ridgeland High School will name Wesley Tankersley as its next head football coach, ending a two-month search for Mark Mariakis' replacement. Mariakis, who was 72-51 in 11 years, resigned following this past season. He led the Panthers to eight consecutive playoff appearances, including four region championships and the 2012 Class AAAA championship game.
Tankersley was 43-34 in seven seasons at Gilmer. His first team went 0-10 and he led the Bobcats to a 7-3 meark in 2011, their first winning mark in a decade. The program's record past four seasons was 32-12, including three consecutive playoff appearances.
Read more about the new coach in Thursday's Times Free Press.