Clinch County’s first-round playoff victory over Warren County carried extra significance. It was the 500th victory in the school’s history.

The Panthers are 10-1 and will host Johnson County this week in the second round of the Class A Division II playoffs.

The school, located in the South Georgia town of Homerville, has been playing football since 1952. The school has won 18 region championships and eight state championships, most recently in 2018.

The current coach is Jim Dickerson, who returned this season for his second tenure at the school. In 16 seasons with the Panthers (2004-18, 2024) Dickerson’s teams are 162-45 with seven region championships and five state championships.

Donald Tison, who spent 20 seasons at Clinch County (1974-93), went 149-72-5 with seven region titles and two state championships. His son, Don Tison Jr., was head coach from 2019-23 and went 44-18 with one region title.

The other state championship-winning coach is Cecil Barber, who stayed for 10 seasons and went 90-29-1 with three region championships and one state title.