The weekend was a rough one for Long County sports fans. The Blue Tide boys basketball team fell in the first round of the state playoffs, and later head coach Deshon Brock announced he was leaving Ludowici.

Saturday, Long County went into the playoffs, knowing they had an uphill battle just to advance into the second round. After a disappointing region tournament, the Blue Tide had to take on Westside Macon High School (24-3), which was ranked No. 1 in the state by MaxPreps.com, in their first game.

From the outset, it was painfully clear the Seminoles had bigger athletes on the court. Using their size advantage, Westside Macon outshot the Blue Tide 2 to 1 to take a 46-23 lead into the half. In the fourth period, Long County did matchup with their opponents, outscoring them 31-27. But it was too late. The Seminoles won 96-71.

With the win, Westside moved into the second round to face Monroe Area Basketball (15-14). The Blue Tide end the season with a 16-13 record.

Rumors about Brock’s departure started to spread on social media. Sunday, in an email to the Courier Brock confirmed the reports. He said he accepted the athletic director and head football coaching job at Mitchell County High School in Camilla. According to MaxPreps.com, the Eagle football team was 9-3 overall and 7-2 in Region 1-A this past season. The team advanced into the playoffs, beating Randolph-Clay High School in the first round 46-14, but fell in the second round to Clinch County 54-12.

As head coach of Blue Tide basketball, Brock has 186 wins in 13 seasons. He also led Long County to four region basketball championships. He also coached the track and field team, as well as the football team’s wide receivers.

LCHS athletic director Karen Swindell said Brock will be hard to replace.

"I wish him the best as he embarks on his head football coaching career, he will be missed and I appreciate all of his hard work and dedication to our athletic programs," she said.