From 0-9 to .500: Claxton’s turnaround was built in the weight room: ‘The scoreboard is only one defining factor in our program’

Phillip Richards, head football coach at Claxton High School. (X / Phillip Richards)Staff Report A year ago, Claxton didn’t win a single football game. This fall, the Tigers won five, and their coach says the comeback started long before the first kickoff. Claxton closed its 2026 season Friday, Nov. 6, with a 21-8 loss at Montgomery County in Mount Vernon. The Tigers finished 5-5, matching the Eagles’ record, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting’s game page. Montgomery County came in having lost four straight. The Eagles held Claxton to its lowest point total since an 8-42 loss at Emanuel County Institute on Oct. 15. The game revived a series that had been dormant for several years. The last time the teams met, in 2019, Claxton won 40-25 at home. Montgomery County won all three meetings in 2018, including a 31-12 first-round playoff game. The five wins still mark a dramatic jump from the Tigers’ 0-9 season in 2025. First-year coach Phillip M.

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