After Matt Kriesky was named the head coach at Centennial in January, leaving a Forrest program that won 17 games in his two seasons in Chapel Hill, the Forrest administration didn’t panic.
They had the perfect candidate to replace Kriesky and he was already in the building, he really wanted the job and he was an alumnus of the school.
Brent Johns, a 1990 Forrest graduate was ready to take the job head on and a week after Kriesky left, Johns was officially named the new head football coach at Forrest.
But his first season would have expectations as the Rockets are coming off their best season since 1980 as they went 10-2 and made the second round of the Class 2A playoffs last season.
The Rockets returned 10 starters from last year’s squad but the question was could they match what the 2015 team did?
Last Friday, they answered that question with a resounding yes as the Rockets stayed undefeated at 7-0 as they beat previously undefeated Watertown 35-28. The win also earned Johns the Tennessee Titans coach of the week award as well.
Senior Jacob Jones scored the game winning touchdown with 28 seconds left to give Forrest the critical region 4-2A win and the win raised the Rockets to No. 3 in 2A in this week’s AP poll.
In fact, Forrest is one of only three undefeated teams remaining in 2A joining No. 1 Adamsville (6-0) and No. 6 Happy Valley (7-0).
“The kids have really played well this year and we’ve had several to step up and that’s what we have needed to fill some holes,” Johns said. “The kids have really worked hard all season and want to get better every day.”
Jones and fellow senior Slayton Wild have been the main backs in the Rockets Wing T attack as Wild has 366 rushing yards and four touchdowns while Jones has 334 yards and three touchdowns. Their numbers are a bit deceiving as the Rockets have had 15 different running backs to carry the ball and have six backs with at least a 100 yards rushing on the season.
Besides Wild and Jones, other backs eclipsing the 100 yard mark are Nick McClendon (247 yards, four touchdowns), Scrappy Osborne (167 yards, one touchdown), Troy Turner (156 yards, one touchdown) and Wes McCoy (107 yards, five touchdowns).
“We are definitely spreading the ball around. The reason for this is to always have a back with fresh legs and to also have a fresh defense. We aren’t wearing our backs out with tons of carries. Hopefully it will pay off down the home stretch here,” Johns said.
Just because he took over as the head coach, Johns has kept everything the same as far as philosophy as he is still the offensive coordinator and he promoted Eli Stephenson to Defensive Coordinator to replace Kriesky.
“We changed really nothing at all after Matt left because I felt like keeping the staff intact would be huge for the kids because they are not having to get used to a new staff, they know what the coaches are about and vice versa,” Johns said.
“We want to keep the ball rolling and get the program to the next level and build on what we started the last several years.”
So how is it to take over at your Alma mater?
“It’s awesome to coach at My Alma mater Forrest High School,” Johns said. “These are the best kids in the State here at Chapel Hill.”
The 7-0 start is the best start in 36 years as the 1980 team finished the regular season undefeated and finished the season 10-1 losing to Lewis County in the first round.
“I would have to say that there is a bit of added pressure because these are the last people in the world that I would ever want to let down,” Johns said.
Speaking of being the head coach of your Alma mater across the state of Tennessee, 78 coaches are in a special fraternity as they are beaming with pride as they are leading the program they once played for.
In today’s coaching world, a lot of coaches move around trying to climb up the coaching ladder and some fairly or unfairly are forced to resign or are fired because they don’t win enough games as community expectations are mostly unrealistic.
Because of those expectations, a head coaches shelf life isn’t what it used to be but that’s why Bobby Sharp’s current 29 year tenure at his Alma mater Lewis County is so impressive.
“I’ve been very fortunate here at Lewis County because I’ve had great kids, parents and an administration that understands and has great patience with the football program,” Sharp said.
“I’ve also been lucky because I’ve coached with all my principals and because of that relationship, it’s been a lot easier to run the football program. The biggest reason I think I’ve survived here is I want the program to succeed and the coaches don’t care who gets the credit, we just want it to be one that people respect.”
Sharp, an old school coach that instills discipline (players still have to keep hair short and cannot wear ear rings) has had a ton of success in his 29 years in Holenwald.
The Panthers have a 231-104 record under Sharp with 26 trips to the playoffs that includes six trips to the Quarterfinals and one Semifinal trip in 2013. This season, the Panthers are currently 5-2 and have positioned themselves to make another playoff run.
In fact, Sharp isn’t the only coach that has an impressive run at his Alma mater as four other coaches in Graham Clark (Dobyns Bennett, 24 years), Tom Adkins (Jo Byrns, 23 years), John Webb (Rockwood, 21 years) and Bob Robertson (Huntland, 20 years) all have long tenures at their respective schools.
So what’s the secret to the longevity of those five coaches?
“It’s great to coach at your Alma mater because you are coming back to a place where you had some magical times and memories,” Clark said. “But let’s face it at the end of the day, the best thing you can do at your Alma mater is win a lot of football games.”
Clark has done a lot of winning in his time at Dobyns Bennett posting a 242-65 record which includes a 3-3 record this year. While at DB, Clark has had nine undefeated seasons and has made the playoffs all 23 previous seasons, with seven Quarterfinal appearances and three trips to the Semifinals.
Because of that winning, Clark is one of four coaches that will be inducted into the 2016 Tennessee Football Coaches Association (TNFCA) Hall of Fame in December.
Adkins understands what Clark and the other coaches that lead their Alma maters go through as Adkins as well as his wife are Jo Byrns graduates and have never really thought about leaving Cedar Hill.
Before Adkins took over the program back in 1994, the Red Devils had made only three playoff appearances, since then, Jo Byrns have made 15 Playoff appearances under Adkins which includes two Class 1A final appearances in 2008 and 2010, three Semifinal appearances and six Quarterfinal rounds. Adkins has a 157-103 overall record in Cedar Hill.
“I don’t know that I would say that it’s fun, coaching is a challenge and I enjoy what I’m doing. I’m doing it at a place that’s home to me and always has been. My wife and I both graduated from Jo Byrns and I’ve had four boys also graduate from here,” Adkins said.
“I think every coaching situation is different. I think a lot of my pressure comes from myself. I want to win and don’t have a lot of patience. I’ve been very blessed and we’ve been successful. I think most high school coaches are coaching because they enjoy working with kids and they enjoy the everyday challenges that come with the job, I just happen to be doing it at my Alma mater.”
Webb (132-99) also knows what a football community expects as he is entering his 21st season at Rockwood.
“It’s been a lot of fun for me. I love Rockwood and have always thought it was an honor for me to be here,” Webb said.
“At times there’s going to be more pressure because more people know you. Rockwood has always been a football town. Everyone wants to win no matter who the coach is.”
Six other coaches in Rob Black (Fulton), James Counce (Henry County), Derrick Davis (Polk County), Vic Grider (South Pittsburg), Tim James (East Ridge) and Ralph Potter (McCallie) are coaching their Alma mater but have pressure for another reason as they also following their dad who coached successfully at the school as well.
Black (dad Bob) , Grider (dad Don) and Potter (dad Pete) have all won state titles with Black winning three straight 4A titles (2012-14), Grider has also won three 1A championships (1999, 2007 and 2010) and finished runner up in two others (2009 and 2011) while Potter won McCallie’s only state title to date in 2001 (Division II-AAA) and played in another final in 2006.
Bob Black and Pete Potter have the game field named after them, the stadium at East Ridge is named after Tim James’ dad Raymond while the field house is named after Don Grider at South Pittsburg and the football complex at Polk County is named after Larry Davis.
Bob Black and Larry Davis are currently still on their sons staffs which is a blessing according to Rob Black.
“It’s pretty cool to have a guy on staff that has 52 years of coaching experience at Fulton high school,” Rob Black said. “Its really nice that if I have a question especially about the program, I have one guy that I know for a fact has went through it and I know he will tell me the truth and if I don’t want to hear it will be honest and what’s best for the program.”
So what’s the pressure like when you coach your Alma mater and you are following your dad?
“Obviously there is pressure to win and do it the right way and at the end of the day, that’s what I really care about,” Vic Grider said. “My dad set the bar high a long time ago and the coaches here have embraced it and we didn’t want to let anyone down and we wanted to reach the pinnacle of our profession and that’s winning a state title.”
Elizabethton head coach Shawn Witten is in a similar position as well with a twist as he is coaching his Alma mater and is following the footsteps of his grandfather Dave Rider who coached at Elizabethton from 1966 to 1998 and complied a 166-81 record.
“It is special to coach and carry on the tradition and success coaching at your Alma Mater and where my grandfather coached for 24 seasons,” Witten said.
“You take a lot of pride making sure the program is the best it can be and I believe expectations are extremely high and people expect Elizabethton to be and play a certain way.”
“When coaching at your Alma Mater and following the footsteps, there is not even a thought process of a bad season; no possible way that can ever take place.”
You walk the shadows and footsteps every time you take the field, no way I can ever replace or be Dave Rider. I just know what he did for me and the all the players that played for him which is to leave an everlasting impact on and off the field. I know each day, each practice, each game, each season means more to me being at Elizabethton than any where else.”
Unfortunately in some communities, certain people try to control the football program and put their two cents in on how the program should be ran as everyone these days is an armchair quarterback.
“In the beginning, you may get some leeway since its your Alma mater but expectations are high and only get higher if you are having success,” Whitehaven head coach and graduate Rodney Saulsberry said.
“To the victor goes the spoils rings true because the fans, administration and the community are spoiled by success and the standard set must be maintained and upheld at all times as they should be.”
If you don’t believe that, go to a football message boards on a website like coacht.com or social media as fans question coaches on everything from play calling to the way the program is ran as they call for a change.
“I don’t get a lot of that now,” Clark said. “One of the first things I did when I first took over the program I told people that I was going to run the program the way I thought it benefitted the program in the long run.”
“The best advice I ever got was from former DB coach Ted Wilson who the word “fan” is short for fanatic and it’s not that they don’t like you, but they really love and care about the program,” Clark continued.
Alma Mater Coaching Roster
Below is the full list of 78 head coaches that are patrolling the sidelines of their Alma mater, the list is in alphabetical order.
Tom Adkins, Jo Byrns
Rob Black, Fulton
Lee Boyd, Loretto
Dustin Buckner, Jellico
Bo Cagle, McMinn County
Graham Clark, Dobyns Bennett
*DeLynn Cline, Cumberland Gap
Brad Conley, Gibbs
James Counce, Henry County
T.J. Daniel, Cannon County
Derrick Davis, Polk County
Larry Davis, Wartburg
Paul Decker, Obion County
Mike Dickerson, Smith County
John Elmore, Greenbrier
Cody Finley, Gibson County
Damon Floyd, Bradley Central
Davey Gillum, Anderson County
Josh Goodin, McMinn Central
Brandon Gray, Adamsville
Larry Green, Oliver Springs
Vic Grider, South Pittsburg
Kevin Hall, Cosby
Steve Harris, Westmoreland
Michael Harrison, Hickman County
Sam Haynie, Sullivan South
Ben Herron, Upperman
Bryant Hollingsworth, Lexington
Chris Hughes, Fairview
Tim James, East Ridge
Jason Jarrett, Happy Valley
Jeremy Jenkins, Daniel Boone
Brent Johns, Forrest
Don Kerley, Johnson County
Brent Kilpatrick, Greenback
Noah Lampkins, Gleason
Sean Loftis, Jackson County
Michael Lunsford, Hampton
Mike Lunsford, Cloudland
Ron Marshall, Gordonsville
Jeff McMillan, Carter
Chris Michael, Millington
Robbie Norris, Sullivan North
Brian Pankey, Kingston
Kevin Patterson, Fairley
Jeff Phillips, Austin East
Don Pitt, Greenfield
Ralph Potter, McCallie
Eric Pullen, McEwen
Junior Reid, Humboldt
Drew Rice, Unicoi County
Spencer Riley, Jefferson County
**Chris Robbins, Union County
Bob Robertson, Huntland
Greg Ryan, Greenback
Derik Samber, York Institute
Rodney Saulsberry, Whitehaven
Bobby Sharp, Lewis County
Issac Shelby, Clarksville
Matthew Smith, Hardin County
Chanz Swartz, Stewart County
Travis Tapp, Harriman
Casey Tate, Grundy County
***Chad Tate, Grainger
Don Thomas, Lincoln County
Steve Trapp, DeKalb County
Jake Tyre, Cascade
Wade Vandergriff, Ripley
Cecil Van Hooks, Craigmont
John Webb, Rockwood
David Whittle, Dyer County
Jamie Williams, Bruceton
Steve Williams, Nashville Overton
Dustin Wilson, Springfield
Nathan Wilson, Macon County
Marcus Wimberly, Memphis East
Shawn Witten, Elizabethton
Josh Wolfe, West Carroll
*Powell Valley consolidated with Forge Ridge to form
Cumberland Gap high school in 2003
**Horace Maynard became Union County high school in 1997
***Rutledge became Grainger high school in 2008
Trezevant Football cleared by TSSAA can resume season
Six days after Trezevant’s administration found grade discrepancies and opened an internal investigation which is currently on going, the TSSAA found no violations and the team has been cleared to resume practice and can play the remaining four regular season games on their schedule.
Trezevant’s administration initially found the errors as they were checking grades via an academic audit to make sure students had the proper course credit for graduation. The school has self reported the violation to the TSSAA and a full internal investigation was launched by the Shelby County school district.
The Shelby County school District released the following statement on Tuesday.
“The District is diligently working to complete its investigation at Trezevant High School; therefore, no details about the outcome of the District’s investigation are available at this time. The TSSAA, however, has reported that no violations have been found involving the Trezevant football team, so practices have resumed and the team will play out the remainder of the 2016 football schedule. The only game this season the team will have to forfeit is the September 29th game against Memphis Academy of Health Sciences.”
The defending 2A state champions had to forfeit last Thursday’s contest with Memphis Academy of Health Sciences (MAHS) and are currently 3-3 with four games remaining against Memphis East (October 7), Douglass (October 13), Mitchell (October 20) and Hillcrest (October 27).
Weink rushes for 572 yards, sets state record
To say that Stewart County senior running back Taeton Weink was in the zone Friday night is an understatement.
Weink scored on his first two carries of the evening from 47 and 98 yards on his way to a 572 yard, seven touchdown game in the Rebels 48-41 shoot out win over East Hickman.
The 572 yards is a single game TSSAA record besting the 503 yard performance by Huntingdon running back Kennon Holder back in 2008.
“He had a lot of tough runs, as he ran real physical and finished his runs, its one of the best performances I have ever seen from a player,” first year Stewart County head coach Chanz Swartz said.
“Taeton is a very gifted athlete. He is a great leader and role model both on the field and in the classroom. His attitude is exceptional, and his drive for success is unmatched as he is very competitive and full of Rebel pride. Overall he is a well rounded student athlete.”
Weink averaged an eye popping 15.4 yards per carry Friday night and now has 1,698 rushing yards and scored 20 touchdowns on the year.
Contact Donovan at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at Examine_Stew
