New Rossview football coach Todd Hood readjusting to larger roster numbers

Todd Hood is no novice when it comes to coaching in the public school system.

The former longtime Clarksville Academy football coach once served as an assistant at Northwest and at Fort Campbell.

But even for Hood, the time he spent with the Cougars program created an idea of what spring and summer football workouts were about. His move to Rossview this past spring has seen him get reacclimated to public school life for a coach as the Hawks re-enter Class 6A in football this fall.

Here is The Leaf-Chronicle's Q and A with the Hawks' new football coach.

Aside from strictly football, what have you done with your team since the spring session ended last month?

TH: I'm really getting to know the kids. I'm trying to learn a little bit about their personalities and how they interact with each other. For a coach, if you can get a sense of the kinds of characters you have on the team, you can do a better job at molding them.

The past seven years, you've been used to roster numbers no more than about 35. Now you're back to a roster of over 80. Have you readjusted?

TH: We have right at 100 players. We have about 40 freshmen and 60 others. It's been a challenge to make sure everyone is on the same page. The biggest readjustment is making sure everyone and everything is organized, and that includes coaches.

How have you accomplished that in the past five weeks or so?

TH: I have to really stress the little things. I know the kids see the bigger picture, but they may not know about the small things you do every day that will help you achieve that larger goal. And for our young kids, that's big. Our varsity kids will be OK, but our younger kids need attention and that's tough to give with such a large group of players.

Large roster numbers also means larger fan base, and by fan base, I mean parents. That can be tricky to navigate for a coach. How have you managed?

TH:(Laughing) I keep telling our parents that I haven't lost a game since I've been the coach at Rossview. Honestly, we've had great fan and parent support. Our booster club is strong and ready to work and really it's about winning. They just want to win.

Have you spent June conditioning?

TH: We've emphasized football as a game of movement so we've been improving our agility, overall speed, footwork, resistance training and just running. It's something that's new to them in terms of how we like to do things but I've done it for years (at Clarksville Academy).

Reach Prep writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.

ROSSVIEW'S JULY SCHEDULE

July 11 at Austin Peay for 7-on-7 tournament

July 15 at McCracken County (Ky.) for 7-on-7 tournament