visorman

To reply to joyful, I think there are people in Englewood and Etowah who are passionate about winning, so as a new coach, you have to come in ready to go to work and work hard. If you do, those passionate folks will help you. As for the one perk comment, the columbia blue and navy are awesome colors!

We had a talented bunch of kids who worked tirelessly in the weight room to get better and change the culture. We also had a very diverse coaching staff that got every bit of effort out of every kid. We established a solid network of communication throughout the community so parents and kids wanted to play for the Big Blue. Most of all the community bought into what we were trying to establish. The greatest hurdle was trying to convince Englewood to join forces and establish a solid feeder program that benefited the high school. Whoever gets the job better be able to network, generate community excitement, establish a diverse staff, and work like his life depends on it. Just remember the group from 2007-2009 always worked hard, practiced hard, and played hard for the community, the only fault was a young inexperienced Coach Derrick who had never been a head coach.

I hope they find someone who knows the challenges of building a program. It takes MONEY, time, and a whole lot of buy in by the community and the leaders of the community. Good Luck!

Central could be a solid program, but it is going to take someone with tons of energy, dedication, and ties to the community. The other factor to success is going to be whether Englewood and Etowah can bury the old rivalry lines and join recreation programs so Central can create a dominate feeder program. The county is not going to develop any middle schools throughout the county because that cost money and it would break up the small community feel that everyone likes for some strange reason. I witnessed a few of the recreation practices over the years in both communities and they need to consolidate so the kids can have a solid practice environment. Quit playing "daddy" ball and teach the youth how to play "football." There is too much pride in the adults and it is killing the youth in those communities along with H.S. programs. So if Central wants to win in football, it can be done but it is going to take a few things to make it happen: 1) Must have a Head Coach dedicated to the kids and the program - can't take a vacation during football season and leave it with the assistant coaches. You're the head man, lead for goodness sake!!! You lead the kids, I promise you that they will follow!!! 2) Set goals and expectations for the off-season and during the season. Have a plan to achieve those goals. It is called "work" and "organization," and you have to have it if you want to be successful, because "success" only comes before the word "work" in the dictionary. 3) The two communities have to swallow their pride and put these kids together in order to field a solid feeder program. The H.S. coaches have to provide direction on what they want these kids to know when they get to H.S. 4) The communities need to take a look in the mirror each morning and ask, "Is average okay for my kid?" Get out and support the kids, support the programs, and demand changes if the actions are not being taken to maximize the potential in the classroom and on the playing field. There are some really good folks that bust their butts for those kids everyday and they are some who are just drawing a paycheck. It should always be about the kids!!! It is just an opinion from an outsider looking in, and we all know what they say about opinions!!!