Peach County High School

History

Prior to Integration, black students attending public school in Peach County attended Henry A. Hunt High School (the athletic mascot of this school was the Tiger) and white students attended Fort Valley High School (the mascot of this school was the Green Wave). Like many locations in the southern United States, Peach County did not immediately comply with the federal order to integrate schools. H. A. Hunt High School specifically educated Black Americans during a time when formal education for black students was virtually non-existent in Peach County. Hunt High was named for the Mr. Henry A. Hunt, second principal of Fort Valley High and Industrial School (later Fort Valley State University).

Peach County High School was created in 1970 as a merger of those two schools. A single unified set of athletic teams were created. The trojan became the mascot of the combined school. A school facility was established in 1974.

Old School Building

Following integration, students continued to attend separate schools, but under a policy of busing. In a 1970 report to the United States Senate, Peach County was listed as being in questionable violation of the federal order to integrate schools. In 1974, with the construction of the present campus, both black and white students attended a fully integrated school.

School Prom Integration

In the early 1960s the Peach County School Board discontinued school-sanctioned social activities to include proms and homecoming dances on the recommendation of then superintendent Ernest Anderson, who served from 1945 to 1984. Anderson argued such activities interfered with the students' studies. After Peach County schools were formally integrated, parents continued to sponsor private segregated proms for students. This changed in 1990 after parents convinced the school board to rescind the policy and allow for a single, school sanctioned prom.

New School Building

In September 2019, the school board announced the construction of a new high school. The new school was planned to be located between the cities of Fort Valley and Byron, Georgia.

Campus

A school store opened in 2021, staffed by students.

Athletics

PCHS athletics are most widely known for having one of the most consistently successful football teams in the state of Georgia. The Peach County Trojans have fielded a winning team each year since 1987 (33 consecutive seasons) and has been in the playoffs each season since 1991 (29 consecutive seasons). The Trojans have won three Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAA state championships, in 2005, 2006, 2009. and has been the Class AAA State-Runner Up in 1992, 1998, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2017*, 2018.

2017 State Championship Game Controversy vs. Calhoun High School (GA) Yellow Jackets

With Peach County trailing 6-10 with 3:33 remaining on the Calhoun 21-yard line, Peach County's running back Noah Whittington caught a pass on fourth-and-8 from quarterback Antonio Gilbert at the 5-yard line. Whittington took at least two full steps and dove toward the end zone, spreading his arm with the ball across the goal line. As his arm and the ball landed in the end zone, the ball came free. The official, instead of signalling touchdown or calling the runner down, ruled the pass as incomplete. The missed scoring opportunity in a defensive game proved to be the difference as Peach County would not score on their final possession and Calhoun would win the game 10-6. The ruling of incomplete has been considered as one of the most controversial calls in GHSA state title game history, with many calling for use of instant replay in state championship games. The following spring, the GHSA added a seventh official to aid in championship games.

Notable alumni

• Ed Beck - Basketball player for University of Kentucky
• Alfred A. Conteh - Sculptor, painter and mixed-media artist
• Antone Davis - NFL offensive lineman with Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.
• Jacquez Green - NFL wide receiver with Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins; Winner of 2001 and 2002 Madden Bowl
• Alvin Holsey - United States Navy Rear Admiral and Current Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel
• Louis Ivory - Winner of 2000 Walter Payton Award for the most outstanding player in NCAA Division I-AA
• Pete Johnson - NFL running back with Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers, and Miami Dolphins
• Greg Lloyd - NFL linebacker with Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers.
• Dannie Lockett - NFL Europe linebacker with London Monarchs; NFL linebacker with Detroit Lions
• Randy McMichael - NFL tight end with Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams, and San Diego Chargers.
• Demarcus Robinson - NFL wide receiver with Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens
• Marcus Robinson - NFL Europe wide receiver with Rhein Fire; NFL wide receiver with Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and Baltimore Ravens
• Tim Watson - NFL safety with Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs
• Noah Whittington - college football running back for the Oregon Ducks

References

References

1. "Free US Geocoder".
2. [http://pchs.peachschools.org/content/history Peach County High School- History], Retrieved June 25, 2010.
3. [https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=1304050&ID=130405001483 Peach County High School]
4. Geography Division. (April 12, 2021). "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Peach County, GA". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
5. "Peach County High School Official Website".
6. (September 2006). "JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR PEACH COUNTY AND CITIES OF BYRON AND FORT VALLEY".
7. Fineran, Daryl W.. (2011-12-07). "Commentary: The forgotten Peach County football team". [[The Macon Telegraph]].
8. Solomon, Kayla. (September 15, 2019). "New Peach County High School in the works".
9. (December 29, 1970). "Congressional Record, Equal Educational Opportunity, 1970".
10. Kunerth, Jeff. (May 12, 1990). "ALL OF PEACH COUNTY STEPPING OUT OF PAST AT HIGH SCHOOL PROM".
11. Wilkerson, Isabel. (May 14, 1990). "HISTORICALLY OUT OF STEP FOR PROMS, GEORGIA TEENS FINALLY DANCE".
12. (December 8, 2020). "New Peach County High School expected to open in August 2021".
13. (2022-11-11). "School of the week: Peach County high school opens school store". [[WMAZ]].
14. "GHSFHA.ORG Peach County Trojans Program by Season".
15. "GHSA Football Championships".
16. Krohn, Adam. (December 8, 2017). "Calhoun 10, Peach County 6".
17. Ellerbee, Seth. (April 15, 2018). "GHSA makes positive move after Peach-Calhoun Mmssteps".
18. "Fort Valley Native Promoted to U.S. Navy Two-Star Admiral".
19. (4 May 2024). "Oregon 2024 Football Season: Running Back Noah Whittington’s Resurgence".