The Prep Report

by: Jamie DeMoney
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PREP FACT
Only 3 active coaches have over 50 years as a head coach: Summerville’s John McKissick (SC), St. Edmond’s Dick Tighe (IA) and Bethpage’s Howie Vogts (NY)

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FLYING UNDER THE RADAR

Camden County (GA): 20 Shutouts in 34 Games

Before you can find a way to beat the Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) Wildcats, you better first figure out a way to score on them. Putting up a single point has been a job and a half lately for Camden County opponents. By the time the Wildcats had opened this season at 5-0 and moved up to No. 10 in the National Prep Poll rankings, they had recorded their 20th shutout in the last 34 games. It was part of a run that included a 15-0 season and Class 5A state championship in 2003 and a 33-1 record overall. Take away a 30-0 loss to eventual champ Lowndes (Valdosta) in last year’s state semifinals, and the Wildcats would not have allowed more than 14 points in a game since the 2002 season.

The men behind the success at Camden County are head coach Jeff Herron and defensive coordinator Franklin Stephens. Herron, who entered the 2004 season with a 59-6 record in five years at Camden County, is a Wing-T guru on the offensive side of the ball. It’s a ball-control attack that aids Stephens’ self-described “swarm defense” that utilizes a 3-3-5 formation, as in five defensive backs. In a 73-0 rout earlier this season, the Wildcats held Savannah to negative-12 total yards and forced six turnovers. Even Walton (Marietta), a preseason Top 10 team in Georgia, couldn’t muster 100 yards of total offense against Camden County this season.

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READER FEEDBACK In response to our “Under the Radar” listing in the September issue, an unsigned e-mailer brought to our attention a coach who was also worthy of mentioning: Jeff Gross, McCook (Neb.).

“… Gross (a three-time state coach of the year) has led McCook (Class B) to a 38-1 record over the last three years, with back-to- back state titles in 2002-03. McCook just missed its third consecutive finals appearance in ‘04 to Lincoln Pius X on the last play of the game, 14-9. The Bison were 53-6 since 2000 entering this season, and in the last 41 games the Bison had pitched 16 shutouts and held their opponents to seven points or less another 14 times. McCook’s veer-based offense has averaged 422 yards total offense over the last three years, including 382 yards per game rushing.” – Name and city not provided

AFM: Gross is certainly a worthy addition to our list. Thanks for the correspondence.

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The List
Here are 10 more of the best defensive coaches
in high school football today:
1. Kerry Coombs and staff, Colerain (Cincinnati): As good as Colerain’s triple-option offense was last season, its defense (which is overseen by Coombs) was even better.

2. Randy McPherson and staff, Lowndes (Valdosta, GA): McPherson has constructed state-championship defenses in both Florida (Madison County) and Georgia this decade.

3. Terry Totten and staff, Central Catholic (Pittsburgh): Totten (now head coach) was defensive coordinator of last year’s PCC team that absolutely shut down All-American running backs Justin King (Gateway) and LeSean McCoy (Bishop McDevitt) in the playoffs en route to a 16-0 record and Class 4A state title.

4. Bob Ladouceur and staff, De La Salle (Concord, CA): There’s not much left to be written about Ladouceur and DC Terry Eidson, who were the architects of the Spartans’ 151-game winning streak from 1992-2004. Opponents averaged just under 9 points per game during the Spartans’ remarkable run.

5. Gary Rankin and staff, Riverdale (Murfreesboro, TN): The Warriors did not allow a touchdown for a stretch of 43 games last season. Entering this season, only 11 of 75 Riverdale opponents this decade scored 20 or more points. Rankin has led Riverdale to four state titles and appearances in the state final nine of the last 12 seasons.

6. Don Shows and staff, West Monroe (LA): Shows has built the preeminent public school power in Louisiana (five state titles since 1993) on the shoulders of a fast and physical defense. The 2000 team allowed only 14 points in five postseason games.

7. Fred Romero and staff, La Cueva (Albuquerque): Romero built a unit that allowed a shockingly low 21 points in 13 games last season. The ’03 team gave up only 346 rushing yards to 13 foes. They won 28 straight games before losing to Clovis earlier this season.

8. Walt Frazier and staff, Carol City (Miami): Two things are pretty close to certain in Florida’s Class 6A playoffs: One, a team from Miami usually wins the championship (it’s happened eight of the last 12 years), and two, that team almost always plays tremendous defense. Frazier’s ’03 championship team gave up only 13 points in five postseason games.

9. Chuck Smith, St. Mary’s-Colgan (Pittsburg, KS): Smith built an impregnable defense that carried the Panthers to 66 straight wins and five Class 2A titles from 1999-2004. The ’99 team recovered 35 fumbles on the season, the fifth-best total in prep history.

10. Tom Larkey, Rockcastle County (Mount Vernon, KY): Larkey has more than 200 career wins and built a defense that surrendered a national-record low 184 rushing yards in 15 games during the 2001 season.

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FEEBBACK: WHO ARE WE MISSING? Give us your comments related to high school football across the nation that we should know about. We might use some or all of your comments in future issues of AFM’s Prep Report. Please email us at PrepReport@AmericanFootballMonthly.com

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Jamie DeMoney is the editor of PrepNation.com.

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