By Robert Wilson
East Rankin hasn’t had a winning season in football since 2012, but help is on the way.
If Teddy Dyess’ past successes are any indication, the new East Rankin head football coach will get his Patriots going in the right direction.
Dyess – one of the winningest high school football coaches in Mississippi history – begins his first year at East Rankin after being an assistant coach at Yazoo County for one season. Dyess came to Yazoo County after being the head coach at Clinton Christian Academy for one year. Before Clinton Christian, Dyess spent 31 seasons as coach in the MHSAA, the last 22 as a head coach.
Dyess, 57, has a 231-59 record, a 79.7 winning percentage, the third highest winning percentage of any coach in Mississippi history with more than 200 wins. Only former National Coach of the Year and Mississippi Hall of Fame member Ricky Black (who won 401 games and had an 83.3 winning percentage in 40 seasons and retired in 2020) and former New Hope and Hamilton coach Jimmie Moore (who won 205 games and had a 79.9 winning percentage) is better.
Dyess ranks sixth in wins among active coaches in Mississippi.
Dyess has won six state championships, two as a player at Bassfield, one as an assistant coach at Madison Central, two as a head coach at Lumberton and one as a head coach at Magee in 2020 when he went 12-0 and defeated Noxubee County 49-26 for the MHSAA Class 3A state title.
Dyess has never had a losing season as a head coach. The closest he came was in 2016 when he was 6-6 at Philadelphia. He has won at least 10 games in 15 of his 22 seasons as head coach, averaging 10.6 wins per season. He went five consecutive years (2009-13) without losing a region game at Philadelphia. Dyess has had two undefeated seasons and five more seasons, including four consecutive seasons at Philly, with only one loss.
Dyess was 13-9 in his two years at Ridgeland, 6-5 in 2021 and 7-4 in 2022, and 6-5 at Clinton Christian in 2023.
We are so pleased to have Coach Dyess leading our football program, and we are confident that our program will grow and thrive under his direction,” East Rankin head of school Robyn Winstead said. “His enthusiasm, passion, and proven track record is already creating excitement on campus for the future of our football program. We are looking forward to the upcoming season and our team’s success under Coach Dyess’ guidance.”
“I’m excited to have Teddy join the ERA family,” first-year East Rankin athletic director and fourth-year girls basketball coach Brooke Rhodes said. “I think he is going to bring a lot of energy to our football program. I am eager to see his vision for our program come to life. He is a hard worker and has infectious energy and he is going to be a great addition to our athletic program.”
“The administration has been absolutely amazing,” Dyess said. “They are committed to giving students a quality education, but they want to have success in football, too. The first thing that has to change is the mindset of the players. If you don’t believe you can be successful, you’ll never be successful. Most of the starters are back. They only had four seniors on last year’s team.”
East Rankin finished 3-8 last season under coach Jonathan Worrell, who left to become the offensive coordinator at Starkville Academy.
The top returning players are rising senior offensive-defensive lineman Gage Crapps, senior offensive-defensive lineman Harrison Smith, senior running back Brandon Loper, senior inside linebacker Grayson Williams, senior defensive back Taylor Woods, senior running back-defensive back Aiden Carlisle and junior outside linebacker Andy Bowman.
Rising junior quarterback Luke Wesson – son of former Brandon High star Barry Wesson who was drafted out of high school and made it to the major leagues in 2002 – passed and ran for 1,671 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, but is transferring to Hartfield Academy, Dyess said.
The last winning season for East Rankin was a 7-5 season in 2012 when the Patriots lost to Heritage in the first round of the MAIS Class AAA, Division II playoffs. East Rankin also finished 7-7 in 2015 but hasn’t won more than four games in a season since then, winning only 15 games in the last seven years, an average of 2 wins per year.
“Coach Dyess played a big role for me as a player and also taught me when times get hard never quit on your teammates because those guys were counting on me,” said Jabraxton Boone, who played for Dyess at Ridgeland and is playing at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. “I have used what he told me in everyday life. I can’t thank Coach Dyess enough for how much time and effort he put into me, not only as a player but as a man.”
“Not only was Coach Dyess a great coach, but he also was a great father figure when I lost my dad,” said Zay Franks, who was a senior on Dyess’ undefeated and state championship team at Magee in 2020 and is playing at Southern University. “Coach stepped up and was a father and a leader. He pushed me to be better than who I was on the field and off the field. Coach Dyess is not your average coach. He comes in programs not only to win and make you a great football player, but to change you as a person. He wants you to be a great father one day.”
“Coach Dyess was the first coach I had in high school who I felt truly trusted me 100 percent,” said Carter Wilson, who played for Dyess at Clinton Christian. “I know that because he set standards for every player on the team – some the same, some different. He told you when you didn’t meet the standard and when you surpassed it. Coach Dyess instilled confidence in me I didn’t know I had. I had three different coaches in four years in high school. He was the first coach who allowed me to fully blossom as a player and a leader. This made me grow as a man. I no longer play football now, but Coach Dyess definitely helped me nagivate the opportunity of playing at the next level. I am forever grateful to have had the chance to play for him my senior year and can confidently say he is the best coach I’ve ever played for.”
