As Presbyterian Christian School readies to move its athletic teams from a league compiled solely of private schools to one that is mostly public schools, the Hattiesburg private school will be doing so with a new football coach.
On Tuesday, PCS announced the resignation of Michael Brown. Brown, a former assistant head coach at nationally lauded Hoover High School before accepting the frontman role at PCS in March 2023, was 8-14 in two seasons leading the Bobcats. In 2024, PCS went 5-6 and lost to Jackson Academy in round one of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) playoffs.
“Michael Brown has poured into our student-athletes, shaping them into better men who will carry his impact forward for years to come,” PCS Head of School Jimmy Messer said. “We wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors and are confident he will excel wherever his career leads.”
Brown’s resignation comes as PCS is set to leave the MAIS, which is made up of private schools in Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Arkansas, after the 2024-25 academic year.
PCS officials announced in August that after 20 years of competing in the MAIS, the school would be taking its athletics to the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA), mostly made up of public schools but does have some private schools competing in it. According to sources, the decision was rooted in the amount of travel PCS faced. PCS is the only school in MAIS 6A that is not located in the Jackson metro with Hattiesburg being nearly two hours away from every one of its regional opponents.
Drew Mattison, director of athletics at PCS, expressed enthusiasm not only about the move to the MHSAA but the idea of having a new head coach to open a new chapter of Bobcat football. He added that the coaching search will begin immediately.
“We know that God has prepared the right person to lead our football program, and we look forward to having this person lead our transition from MAIS to MHSAA,” Mattison said, per the release. “The future of PCS football is very bright.”
PCS has already been notified that it will compete in the MHSAA 3A classification, based on enrollment numbers. Regional assignments for the 2025-26 academic year are expected to be released in the coming months.