Harpeth High School

[ELA]

I heard tonight at the ballfield in Creekwood that Harpeth has NOT hired a new head coach? The umpires said the coach from NCS was headed to Williamson County. Is there any new news?

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Not to say that I told you so but...

Coach Keaton most probably not going to HHS. Still lacking a teaching spot for either a head coach or asst. coaches (currently only two asst. in the building). Unable to get School Director to approve new positions (problem not being helped by the fact that the current director is interim and the board has been deadlocked 3 to 3 for hiring her or someone else <this has going on 4 weeks now>). Admistration is simply handcuffed and unable to make any move. Problem may not be resolved till last week of school or first week of summer.

[ELA]

Not to say that I told you so but...

Coach Keaton most probably not going to HHS.  Still lacking a teaching spot for either a head coach or asst. coaches (currently only two asst. in the building).  Unable to get School Director to approve new positions (problem not being helped by the fact that the current director is interim and the board has been deadlocked 3 to 3 for hiring her or someone else <this has going on 4 weeks now>).  Admistration is simply handcuffed and unable to make any move.  Problem may not be resolved till last week of school or first week of summer.

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Thanks for the update. What do you think will happen? Will they just give the job by default to the assistant coach? I heard that all of the assistant coaches had said they would not coach next year.

[Guest catfish-hunter]

This is the problem in high school sports now days, especially in Cheatham County which is where I went to school and played football. Heading into last year coach Marshall Winkler was baically on legend status in Cheatham County. He had taken Harpeth to nine playoff appearances in his ten years at the helm of the football program in Kingston Springs. From 1997-2001 Harpeth not only made the playoffs those years, but when they got in they did some damage each of those years. In 1997 Harpeth lost in the second round of the playoffs to Huntingdon, '98 Harpeth fell to eventual state champion Milan in the second round, in '99 Harpeth lost in the quarterfinals of the TSSAA state playoffs to Huntingdon, in 2000 Harpeth lost in the second round of the playoffs to McKenzie, and in '01 after finally getting the Huntingdon monkey off their backs Harpeth lost in the second round of the playoffs to Lewis County. Coach Winkler had a fairly young team in 2000 and the final record of 2-8 indicated that. In 2001, Harpeth returned to the playoffs and lost right away to eventual state champion Huntingdon. That sounds like one heck of a resume if you ask me folks, but hey what the heck do I know???

Now to last year. Harpeth started off the season sluggish by losing to Nashville Christian badly. In week two, Harpeth lost to Loretto. The next game Harpeth fell to pieces and got drilled at home by lowly Hickman Co. That was not a good sign heading into a game with Cheatham Co., who we all know was pretty good a year ago. The Cubs beat Harpeth 41-7 and that is when all of the off-field crap began. 20+ players walked off the field after coach Winkler refused to fire coach Robert Brown and Harpeth was left with a JV team to finish the 2004 season. Sycamore rolled past them at Harpeth as did Fairview, Richland, Waverly, and Lewis Co. Several people already knew what was going to happen but for those who didn't know previously they soon found out the truth. Marshall Winkler resigned as the head football coach at Harpeth High and years of winning many games were gone. Now there is nobody who really knows who Winkler's successor at Harpeth will be. I have talked to three different people, either on this website or in person, who have put their name into consideration for the job at Harpeth. None of them really knows what the heck is going on either. Reclassifications have been announced and wouldn't you know it that Harpeth is in a region with the likes of DCA, CPA, Goodpasture, and Ezell-Harding (who have all won state championships in recent years). Spring practice has been lost as have summer workouts in all likelyhood. A coach is nowhere to be found and these players have gotta be running out of patience waiting to see who will lead them onto the field in August when the matchup with Cheatham Co. is here. Whoever gets the chance to try and resurrect the program at Harpeth I wish that person the best of luck and I would be more than happy to help in any way, shape or form that I could because it is gonna be one rocky road back to success for the folks in Kingston Springs.

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As the saying goes "this to shall pass..."

 

ELA,

Maybe they will give it to the asst. coach but the lack of asst. coaches in the school and the lack of new hire positions will make it difficult to build a staff. I know it will be a tough road for a few years and I know that it will take a while for the wounds from last year to heal, but I believe that everyone at Harpeth just wants to try and focus on football and let the drama be over with.

[ELA]

I hope they work it all out for the sake of the program and the kids. Lord knows, the ones that made it through to the end of the season last year need some good news.

[wiseguy]

I just wonder if the kids learned anything about life/themselves because of that unfortunate situation?

[Guest catfish-hunter]

I just wonder if the kids learned anything about life/themselves because of that unfortunate situation?

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Are you talking about the kids that stuck it out and played all ten games last year??? For them, I'd say without question they learned from the ignorance of their peers and some of those great parents involved in the program. If you are talking about those kids who walked out on coach Winkler and their teammates a year ago, then all I can say for them is NO!!!

[ELA]

Bump :justwrestle:

[pking34]

Bump 

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What is Coach Winkler doing now? This was a guy with a superb record over a long period of time. Hope his next opportunity comes soon.