By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

For a decade, the boys’ soccer program at LaGrange High was under the capable leadership of Keita Placide.

With Placide at the helm, the Grangers were a consistent winner, capturing multiple region championships and making some extended runs in the state playoffs.

Following the 2017 season, Placide announced that he was stepping down as the LaGrange coach to become an assistant principal at Long Cane Middle School.

Just because Placide is no longer a high-school coach doesn’t mean he’s lost his passion for the game, though.

Placide has been offering a youth soccer camp for more than a decade, and while he’s no longer coaching, he’s not ready to give that up.

So this week, Placide has been hosting the camp at the Troup County Soccer Complex.

The camp began on Monday and will wrap up on Friday, and the young players are on the field for three hours each day.

“A lot of people have asked me to come and out and do something with the kids, so that’s what I did. It’s just nice to be out here,” Placide said. “It’s just teaching some basics and helping some kids out, because they’re trying out for club. So it’s just giving back a little bit.”

Placide is being helped out by fellow instructors Qua Tucker, Reginald Johnson, Grayson Bartley and Rusty Cook, who is working with the youngest campers.

“I’m just giving back a little bit, to teach, so they’ll have a chance to make the club system that we have around here,” Placide said.

Placide kept a close eye on what his former team did this past season.

Under new head coach Shane Pulliam, LaGrange finished second in Region 5-AAAA and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs.

Most of the members of the team played for Placide in previous years.

“Win, lose or draw I’m proud of what we came through,” Placide said. “Sometimes letting go can be hard. You go to the games and you want to coach, but you realize, hey, it’s somebody else’s team. I respect that.”

OF NOTE: For more photos, check out Facebook.com/LDNSports