Memories from sidelines cherished part of coverage
Stephen Hargis Commentary
Among the reasons I truly enjoy covering high school football are the sights and sounds that come with being on the field.
Hearing coaches yell at players, officials and each other, seeing the 1,000-watt smiles of teenagers after big plays and hearing the air leave the stadium after a heavy hit are the best way to take in the Friday night action.
After 16 years spent at area prep games, here are some of my favorite memories from the sidelines and the locker rooms.
By far the standard in player trash talk was set by former North Jackson linebacker Carlton Person. On one of the first plays from scrimmage in a game at McCallie, the future Alabama signee stuffed Blue Tornado running back Jahmal Overton on a toss sweep near the Chiefs sideline.
Standing over Overton, Person barked, "Daddy cant buy your way out of this whippin." North Jackson went on to win 24-0. The McCallie student section known as "the spirituals," with their chants and painted signs, would get my vote for being the most clever smart alecks around. But there was one time they took a back seat to some kids from Taft Youth Center. When the youth correctional facilitys football team hosted St. Andrews-Sewanee in 2002, one inmate held up a piece of notebook paper that read, "Not in our house!" I stood in an unexpected snowfall and watched Red Bank players lie flat on their backs making snow angels, while longtime Lions coach Tom Weathers was presented the 2000 state championship plaque. Weathers wife Lynda had died during the season.
Weathers has always been one of the true gentleman coaches in our area, so getting to see him finally win a state title was quite a thrill.
Two of the best pregame speeches Ive listened in on were given by former Marion County coach Ken Colquette and North Jacksons Mark Rose.
Marion was a heavy underdog to nationally ranked Brentwood Academy in the 1992 state final. Just before stepping onto the field, Colquette surveyed the locker room and began reminding the Warriors of all the college signees and the family money that Brentwood Academy had and how most of the kids in Marions locker room didnt have either of those advantages.
"But youve got tonight," Colquette said. "No matter what else theyve got, they cant take tonight away from you. Now its up to you to decide what youll do with it."
The Warriors proceeded to win their second state title.
Just before the 2002 region championship game at East Limestone, Rose stood in front of his team and the fathers of Nick Allen and Drew Privett, two players who had died in the preseason. Visibly shaken by the emotion of the moment, Rose nodded toward the fathers of the two boys and reminded the players how much those two kids wanted to be part of the team.
A referee came into the field house and shouted to Rose that North Jackson would get a delay-of-game penalty if he didnt bring his team to the field right then.
"Then flag me, but dont ever interrupt me again!" Rose yelled back.
Several minutes later, not a dry eye among them, the Chiefs were so emotionally charged that every kid looked ready to run through the brick wall instead of using the exit. They overcame the delay penalty on the kickoff and claimed a 10-7 victory that catapulted them to the state title game.
Bill Price has always been one of my favorite game-night coaches to watch, with his nervous pacing and continual yelling, sometimes at no one in particular. One night when he still coached at Bradley Central, Price saw a flag on the field after one of his Bears scored on a long touchdown run, and he assumed the penalty was going to be called on his team.
Before word from the officials, he yelled at me, "Youre gutless if you dont write that were gettin cheated tonight!" Once he realized the call was not on Bradley and the TD stood, he yelled back, "Never mind! It was a good call."
Ive been called a homer by fans at several schools accused of playing favorites for Red Bank, Tyner and Cleveland, just to name a few. The best are the ones who think I cover Baylor or McCallie because I went to one of those schools. Ask any of my former teachers, and after they catch their breath from laughing all would attest I was never prep-school academic material.
Then there was a time I actually went to cover my alma mater, South Pittsburg. As I was walking down the sideline, just before the opening kickoff, I passed Pirates coach Vic Grider. He stopped mid-sentence into telling his team the first offensive play, removed his headphones and sarcastically said, "Hey, Boyd-Buchanan must be off tonight."
