Rock on the run
♦ Rockmart’s historic season continues with a state semifinal showdown with Callaway.
The Rockmart Yellow Jackets are on a run the team hasn’t seen in decades, and with a state championship game appearance just one win away, expectations are high in the close-knit community.
The No. 2-ranked Yellow Jackets will try to extend their historic season Friday night when they welcome No. 4 Callaway to The Rock for a Georgia High School Association Class AA state VHPL¿QDO PDWFKXS
“It’s just one of those seasons as a coach, and I’m sure as a player, that you want to be a part of,” Rockmart head coach Biff Parson said. “Our community has blown up. They’ve jumped on the train and given all kinds of support. It’s exciting for the town. I keep talking to a lot of guys that have been here for a while, and they say in 30 years they’ve never seen this type of turnout.”
According to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, the Yellow Jackets (13-0) have already surpassed the program’s mark for most wins in a season, besting a 12-0 record in 1950 when Rockmart topped 9DOGRVWD IRU LWV ¿UVW ² DQG RQO\ ² VWDWH championship. The Jackets last played LQ D VWDWH VHPL¿QDO JDPH LQ
Parson credits his team’s success to a standard he has held his players to since he became the head coach in 2016. With three straight winning seasons under his belt, Parson has led the Jackets to back-to-back Region 7-AA titles.
“Three years ago when I took this job, one thing I wasn’t going to waver on was having a standard,” he said. “All I want is all they’ve got, and our consistency with holding kids accountable is what has helped us be successful from year one to year three.”