Columbia High School parting ways with head football coach
Jason Bush is out as Columbia High School’s football coach after eight seasons with the program.
“Columbia High is moving in a different direction. I will not be the head football coach at Columbia high next football season,” Bush told The State on Wednesday. “I’m truly thankful for the relationships that have been formed and the lessons that I have learned. I hope that I positively affected everyone that I was blessed enough to work with.”
Bush was an assistant at Lower Richland and Calhoun County high schools before he arrived at Columbia in 2015, replacing Willie Offord. He won 19 games during his tenure, with his best season coming in 2018 when the Capitals went 4-5.
Columbia went 2-9 this season and made the playoffs for the second-straight year. The Capitals lost in the first round to eventual state champion Abbeville.
Columbia hasn’t had a winning season since 2011 when the Capitals went 6-5. They had a successful run in the early to mid-2000s under Kemper Amick and made it to the state semifinals in 2007. Columbia won 10 games or more three times during that stretch.
Bush’s departure means there are two openings in the Midlands.
Robin Bacon stepped down as Spring Valley head coach last month. Bacon said Saturday that has to decide if he wants to coach again, possibly as an assistant somewhere.
SC high school coaching openings
School — Former School — New Coach
- Berea — Julius Prince — Drew Chisholm
- Colleton County — Kris Howell — TBA
- Columbia — Jason Bush — TBA
- Conway — Carlton Terry — TBA
- Darlington — Raymond Jennings — TBA
- Georgetown — Jimmy Noonan — TBA
- Green Sea Floyds — Joey Price — TBA
- Landrum — Jason Farmer — TBA
- May River — Rodney Summers — TBA
- North Central — Tyronne Drakeford — Ryan McDonnell (interim)
- North Charleston — Devon Smalls — TBA
- Pickens — Chad Smith — TBA
- Spring Valley — Robin Bacon — TBA
- Ware Shoals — Chris Johnston — TBA
- Westside — Scott Earley — TBA
- Woodmont — Jeff Murdock — TBA
