Augusta Christian fires football coach Andrew Stickel. Here's what both sides said

Augusta Christian is looking for a new football coach.

Athletic director Charles Cooper confirmed to the Chronicle Friday that the school fired head football coach Andrew Stickel after three seasons. Cooper said they were looking to go in a different direction.

Stickel finished his tenure with Augusta Christian with a 20-14 record. He posted 9-win marks in each of his first two seasons for the Lions, earning a SCISA state playoff win in each season. Augusta Christian struggled this season, finishing with a 2-9 mark and going 0-for-6 in region play.

The administration informed Stickel of its decision earlier in the week.

"I've never been through it before. I was just told that they wanted to go in a different direction. I found out Monday morning and then told my team on Tuesday morning," he said. "The best thing I can equate it to is like a death of a loved one. You go through all those different stages of grief with shock and then sadness and then anger and then denial; then back to back to shock, then back to anger then back to sadness. It's been an up-and-down week that kind of way."

Stickel is currently coaching middle school boy's basketball, but he said he'll likely take some time before looking at another coaching destination.

"We have our playoffs next week, so I'll finish that with those guys," he said. "Hopefully go win a championship then go take a little time off with my family; regroup and go from there."

Cooper said the search for a new coach will begin immediately. The job is an attractive one, as there is a lot of young talent set to return, including 2026 receiver Aaron Gregory, 2025 athlete Dallas Carter, 2024 linebacker Wesley Michaelson and '24 quarterback Wilson Donnelly.