Hickox helped PCHS to two state titles on gridiron, one leading tennis program
BLACKSHEAR — Brantley County’s Board of Education announced the hiring of 2008 BCHS alum Matt Hickox as its new head football coach during its March meeting replacing David Shores, who left after two seasons returning to Camden County.
Hickox has worked the last 10 years in the Pierce County School System working as a girls’ assistant varsity basketball coach under another Brantley County alum, Lacie Evans, served as dual varsity tennis coach winning the 2025 boys’ Class AA title, and the past seven years winning titles in 2020 and 2023 as a defensive assistant/coordinator under highly successful head coach Ryan Herring.
Hickox played for Sean Pender, the winningest coach in program history. He was a part of three winning seasons and 21 victories during his career.
“We had a good amount of success when I played football under coach Pender,” said Hickox. “I’ve had a few opportunities to return as defensive coordinator, but Pierce County has been really good to me with the community support and with the staff. That made Pierce County always kind of feel like home even though I didn’t graduate from there.
“When the Brantley County job came open this time, I prayed over it with my family to make sure that this was the step I was ready to take. We kind of stepped out in faith, and fortunately, we got the opportunity.”
Hickox said what attracted him for the position was the building of a new facilities (gym, locker rooms, weightroom).
“This shows the community is becoming invested in the football program,” said Hickox. “That is a major reason for the success Pierce County has. The community is committed to kind of buying into the success and the development of the student athlete. I felt like now would be a great time, a great opportunity to go in and hopefully turn the program around.”
Hickox will bring what he learned in running a program from PCHS’s Herring to Caney Bay.
“Learning high school football under him (Herring) would be essentially, the equivalent of graduating from high school and graduating from a Master’s or Specialist Program,” said Hickox. “The amount of detail that goes into the preparation is so much different at Pierce County. He demands excellence. You’re drinking from a fire hydrant when it comes to learning football in general under coach Herring.
“He’s a defensive minded coach who played safety in college ... that’s kind of where his heart is. So I have a graduate level course in football that I’ve been trying to master for the last seven years as his assistant coordinator.”
Hickox points out many teams Pierce County has played over the years are bigger and have more athletes. The difference is preparation by the coaches and the physicality the Bears play with.
“I’ve witnessed this the past seven years and it is unprecedented,” said Hickox. “The preparation is having a call ready for whatever the opponent lines up in. Offensively, they have a call for blocking every alignment. He demands his staff to put in the hours or preparation.
“There’s a lot of information that I’ve actually learned involving how to handle athletes, how to game plan, game prep, how to practice plan.”
The biggest thing Hickox is taking with him is what Pierce County is based on — discipline, toughness and love.
“Pierce County student athletes, the football players, are held to a standard of discipline,” said Hickox. “You’re going to do it the right way. You’re going to do it the right way every day, because you’re expected to. Those players are held to that standard, and they’re disciplined enough to where they do it — even when they don’t want to do it.
“A lot of coaches talk about motivation. Motivation comes and goes. Discipline stays as does toughness. It’s plain and simple. Pierce County players play with love for one another to where they’re willing to sacrifice their body and their comfort for the cause of the team and for love of each other.
“So if you can implement those three topics or those three ideas or those three fundamentals across the program, you’re bound to have some type of success, whether it’s on the win-loss record, or reaching young men to make them successful, contributing members of a community.”
Hickox said he has reached out to a few coaches to fill his staff. He said he will begin interviewing current staff members to see who wants to stay and who wants to leave.
He also plans to take advantage of the 10-day spring practice window.
“I do want to have spring practice and a scrimmage,” said Hickox. “The reason is we (coaches) want to see what players we can depend on and what we need to during the summer. Every kid looks good in shorts when they’re running around playing twohand touch, but we’re trying to figure out which kids are going to put their face in the sand.”
In the meantime, Hickox is in his last week with the Pierce County School System with his last day Friday, March 20. He begins Monday, March 23 as a full-time employee in the Brantley County School System. Hickox will coach the PCHS tennis programs until Spring Break.
“I am so thankful for Pierce County Superintendent Dara Bennett and Brantley County Superintendent Dr. Kim Morgan working together through contract negotiations,” said Hendrix. “This allows the tennis program to have a transitional period with Kathy Bradley coming back where the studentathletes are being taken care of.”
Hickox and his wife, Jessica, have three daughters, Serena, Laylah and Ally James.
