The Coosa Christian Conquerors have conquered the attention of Etowah County as they prepare to compete for the AHSSA Super 7 Football State Championship this Friday.
Coosa Christian (12-2), coached by Rush Propst, secured a 44-36 victory over Pisgah (11-3) on Friday, Nov. 28, to clinch a berth in the Class 2A semifinals. Propst is making his first appearance in the AHSAA state finals since 2006. He guided Hoover to the 6A championship game seven-straight years from 2000-2006.
Since Coosa’s first team formed in 1976, the school has made 13 play-off runs. The Conquerors last made it to the championship finals in 2023, where they lost to Leroy.
The last two seasons have been plagued with fines and forfeitures for Coosa Christian, with the Conquerors forfeiting five games in 2023 due to violations of the AHSAA Transfer Rule and with the team forfeiting five games in 2024 and being placed on restrictive probation ahead of the 2025 football season for playing an ineligible player in violation of the AHSSA’s Coaching Outside School Year Rule.
Prior to the start of the 2025 season, Coosa announced that then-head coach Mark O’Bryant was suspended to meet all terms of the AHSAA’s probation ruling concerning violations in the school’s football program. As a result of O’Bryant’s departure from the program, the AHSSA lifted the restrictive probation and replaced it with a period of non-restrictive probation for a period of one year, with the understanding that “should any similar violations occur in the future, additional restrictive sanctions will be assessed.”
With their rocky past behind them, the Conquerors are preparing to face Lanett (12-2) on Friday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. Lanett is looking to add a third championship trophy to their shelf this year. They previously won championships in 2019 and 2017. This will be the first time the Panthers and Conquerors face each other on the football field.
