Wesley Tankersley resigned from his position as football coach at Ridgeland High School on Thursday to take the head job at Stephens County in northeast Georgia.
Tankersley replaced Mark Mariakis in 2015, and after a 4-7 first season that ended in the first round of the GHSA Class AAAA playoffs, he guided the Panthers to back-to-back region championships. Ridgeland went undefeated in the regular season in 2017 and won a first-round playoff game before losing to Jefferson.
Tankersley, who coached seven seasons at Gilmer before taking the Ridgeland job, posted this statement on the Panther Nation Facebook page: "Today I turned in my resignation as the head football coach at Ridgeland High School. I greatly appreciate my time at RHS, which has allowed me to grow as a coach, and work with some very talented athletes. It is with great gratitude that I thank the students, staff, and community for their support. I value the support I've always received from the administration. Mrs. (Karen) Hughes was tremendously supportive and helpful from the moment she assumed her role as principal. I believe she will continue to assist with the growth of Ridgeland football, and will work hard to find a coach that is best suited for the program. My family and I are very thankful for our time at RHS, and we wish the football program the very best moving forward."
Tankersley is succeeding Frank Barden at Stephens County, which went 5-5 this past season and did not reach the playoffs for only the second time in 22 seasons.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.