After five years of unprecedented success, Southeast Bulloch High flag football coach Marci Cochran officially stepped down as the Yellow Jackets head coach.
After meeting with the team in March and announcing that she would return for a sixth season, Cochran said she had a change of heart in the last month and told her team April 2 that she would not return for the 26-27 season.
“It was just time,” Cochran said. “I've done everything I can do at the high school level and at this point it's time to go in a different direction.”
Cochran had thought about stepping down after her daughter Chloe finished her final season playing this year.
“We had told the girls at the beginning of the season that we would let them know to give them a heads up,” Cochran said. “Winning or losing the state championship, we knew there was a chance. We didn't want them to think we were quitting on them because we didn't win if it was going to play out that way. On March 11 at our banquet, we had made the decision that we were coming back, but since then, things have come up and I decided to step down.”
Without elaborating, Cochran said she would continue to teach at Brooklet Elementary and she would still coach, whether that is on the middle school, high school or perhaps even collegiate level. She went on to say her husband Nick, who is an SEB assistant on the flag football team, will make his decision whether to stay or step down on Monday.
Cochran did say that coaching has been rewarding, it also has brought a lot of pressure, as well as being a real grind.
"It can wear you out,” Cochran said. “There are multiple days where you don't sleep. People think tackle football is the only place where coaches are always busy, but we put in just as much preparation as they do, if not more.
"Sometimes we have the game plan for four games a week, not just planning for a Friday night game. You get home on a Tuesday night and you're hunting for film. You're breaking down film and then have to be ready for practice Wednesday so you can play on Thursday. So yes, that does play into my decision."
Winning four state titles in five years as well as five area titles and winning the first 77 games to start the program, are two of the many memories Cochran leaves with.
“One of my favorite memories is just having my family there for it all,” Cochran said. “Having Nick at my side, I've coached some of the best athletes in Bulloch County and we leave with some records that will be tough to top. The trips that we have made with the team in the off-season and all we have been through. I wouldn't trade it for anything.”
