Zgunda to lead Patriot football

The Patriots have their new coach.

And it’s a familiar face, one they saw frequently on the opposing sideline.

Grant Zgunda, who led the Delta Eagles for 18 seasons, was approved by Jay School Board on Monday as the next football coach at Jay County High School.

“I’m excited to have this opportunity,” said Zgunda, 53, who is the current athletics director at Delta. “I’m dying to get up there and meet everybody and meet the players.”

Jay County athletics director Steve Boozier said Zgunda’s credentials stood out over the dozen or so other applicants who had less experience combined than he did.

“To be bluntly honest, I think we had a great group of applicants,” he said. “There was going to be a learning curve, but when you put Grant into the mix and the pool … his success speaks for itself.

“He was clearly the lead choice. He is the only person we interviewed. We didn’t see [the need] as a committee to go any deeper if that’s what he wanted to do.”

The hiring committee consisted of JCHS principal Chad Dodd, JCHS girls basketball coach Kirk Comer, JCHS boys basketball coach Jerry Bomholt, school board president Phil Ford, school board members Jason Phillips and Donna Geesaman, and Boozier.

During his time at Delta, Zgunda amassed a record of 167-49 (77.3% winning percentage) with six sectional championships and three regional titles while guiding the 2001 team to the Class 4A state championship game.

Since stepping down in 2016, former JCHS assistant Chris Overholt has coached Delta to 35 wins and 20 losses with a 2016 sectional title.

Zgunda stepped down as coach of the Eagles to have the chance to watch his daughter, Gabby, play volleyball for Mississippi State University. Because volleyball is a fall sport in college, he wouldn’t have been able to remain coach and still see her compete.

Gabby has finished her playing career and graduated, opening the door for him to return to the sidelines.

“I’ve been getting the itch wanting to get back into it,” said Zgunda, who along with his wife Becky has four children — Garrett, 26, Graham, 25, Gabby, 22, and Grayson, 19. “I had conversations with Steve Boozier about a week and a half ago and it all just fell into place.”

While Zgunda has enjoyed his time as AD — he’ll finish out his contract this school year then begin working with the Patriots — he’s ready to get back into life as coach.

“Being the AD has been good,” he said. “It’s just been, the last year or two I started thinking, I’m 52 years old, is this something I want to do with the rest of my career? The answer to that is no.

“Nothing negative, just something that changed in me that I wanted to get back into coaching.”

Zgunda, who will teach physical education and be a “work-based learning supervisor,” inherits a Patriot program that was winless in 2020, the first such season in program history, and 1-18 over the last two years.

Jay School Board in December chose not to renew the contract of Tim Millspaugh, who was 28-53 in eight seasons leading the Patriots. That opened the search for his replacement and Zgunda to become the ninth coach in program history.

“My main focus right now is going to be strength and conditioning,” he said. “I feel like any football program, you’ve got to have good strength and conditioning programs and make sure kids are getting ready for the season.

“The time’s got to be put in the weight room now if you want to be successful in the fall.”