Burke County had some big shoes to fill when head coach Eric Parker announced he was retiring  a few weeks ago. This was a highly coveted job around the state and attracted some big names.

In the end, the Bears got the best of both worlds.  They hired one of their own and one of the most respected coaches in Georgia in Dr. Franklin Stephens.

Dr. Stephens played at Burke County and was an All-American at Georgia Southern. He has coached at several big time programs including Tucker , winning a pair of state titles. He has also coached at Lamar, Ware County and McEachern High School.