When coach Mike Woodward made his return to Antioch a little more than three months ago, he wasn’t exactly eager to talk about last year — and for good reason.
Antioch coach Mike Woodward looks on during practice.
His players, however, can’t help but think back to their dreadful 2015 campaign, in which they were outscored 396-76 en route to the program’s first winless season since 1971.
“I know last year is still in the back of their minds,” said Woodward, who is back at Antioch after three years away — two spent as coach at Brentwood (2013-14) and one as an assistant at Overton (2014).
-
RELATED:
MNPS Football Jamboree set for Aug. 11-13 -
RELATED:
East Nashville defense poised for bounce-back year
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“It drives me,” Antioch senior outside linebacker Blake Wiggins said. “I’ve never had a season like that before. It just makes me want to be better and strive to work harder every day.”
Antioch senior Noah Scales
“It’s frustrating, but at the same time there’s satisfaction,” added senior quarterback and middle linebacker Noah Scales. “I see where we were last year and how frustrating it was as a team, but I can also see how far we’ve come to where we are now.”
Scales isn’t the only one who has noticed the transformation.
“We just went to a 7-on-7 and I had some opposing coaches come up to me and say they can see a difference already,” said Woodward, whose team participated at last week’s passing tournament at Riverdale.
Woodward, who led the Bears to a 38-39 record and five playoff appearances during his first stint there (2006-12), knows the program still isn’t where it needs to be, but he has been pleasantly surprised in since his arrival in April.
“Beyond expectations,” he said. “The kids have really bought in to what we’re trying to do, they’ve been working hard. I think the kids are working toward our goals this year, and they’ve bought into the importance of courage, commitment and character and the idea of just trying to outwork everybody we play.
“From what I’ve heard as far as the numbers of kids who were coming to work out in January, February and March, our numbers are way up. We’re getting more guys to come out, and so we’re getting to where we want to be.”
His approach has been pretty simple, too.
Antioch senior Blake Wiggins
“I believe a lot of the teambuilding comes from pushing the guys hard,” Woodward said. “That’s going to bring guys together because now they have a respect for each other. They know the guy next to them is also getting up and coming out here at seven o’clock every morning and running (110-yard sprints) and hitting the weights hard. You build respect that way.”
According to Wiggins, a 2015 All-Region 3-6A selection, it’s working.
“We trying to build a new program, and mostly we’re trying to build team unity because that’s something we didn’t have last year,” he said. “Last year we were all individuals, and this year I think we’re coming together as a team and more of a family. We have a better bond.”
Antioch, aiming for its first winning season since 2012, opens the year at rival Cane Ridge on Aug. 19.
“It feels great to be back,” Woodward said. “In some ways it feels like I was just here, and in others ways it seems like it has been light years. But I’m excited to be back and having a lot of fun working with the guys.”
Top returning high school football players
2017 Middle Tennessee prep football commitments
Reach Michael Murphy at 615-259-8262 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports.
Antioch coach Mike Woodward
Woodward’s yearly record
2006 Antioch 7-5
2007 Antioch 7-5
2008 Antioch 5-6
2009 Antioch 3-7
2010 Antioch 4-6
2011 Antioch 6-5
2012 Antioch 6-5
2013 Brentwood 3-7
2014 Brentwood 2-8
Overall record: 43-54
