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AFM Magazine


Lakeland’s Right Hand Man

by: Jamie DeMoney
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Lakeland (FL) again did a lot of winning in 2005. In fact, head coach Bill Castle’s Dreadnaughts were downright dominant, outscoring opponents by a combined 580-93 while capturing their second consecutive Class 5A state championship and 30th straight win. The dream season was punctuated with Lakeland’s best-ever finish in the national rankings (No. 2 National Prep Poll and No. 1 USA Today).

As expected, Castle picked up his share of personal accolades in what is the zenith of a stellar 35-year career. But Castle will be the first tell you, his assistants deserve a generous share of the love being thrown Lakeland’s way.

Clay Taylor (above) played for Castle at Lakeland in the late ‘70s. He returned to coach defensive backs in 1986 and became his mentor’s defensive coordinator in 1995. During his time on the staff, the Dreadnaughts have emerged from being Florida’s biggest sleeping giant to being Florida’s top football power with five state titles and three final national Top 10 rankings in the last two decades. Lakeland also won a state-record 60 consecutive regular season games from 1995-2001.

In a December 2005 story in the Lakeland Ledger, Castle said: “I can't say enough about the job (Taylor) does. And not just as a defensive coach. He has his hand in about everything we do in our program. He takes a lot of weight off my shoulders.


Reader feedback

Last issue we profiled five of the top recent turnaround stories in high school football. Please email us your comments related to high school football at PrepReport@AmericanFootballMonthly.com. Here are two more oustanding turnarounds in 2005:

Pottsville (Pa.) Area – Coach Kevin Keating: The Tide has turned from a 2-8 outfit in ‘03, to the back-to-back Class AAA District 11 champions who reached the state finals for the first time in ’05.

Prospect (Mount Prospect, Ill.) – Coach Brent Pearlman: The Knights are a turnaround story within a turnaround story. Before Pearlman took over in ‘99, Prospect had won just 11 games in 10 seasons with zero playoff wins in school history. The Knights won back-to-back Class 7A titles in 2001-02 and reached the semifinals in ’03, then slumped to 4-5 in ’04, before winning state crown No. 3 in five seasons in ’05.


The List

TOP High School ASSISTANTS AROUND THE NATION


Castle is not alone – behind every successful head coach is a staff of great assistants. In this issue and next, we will profile 20 of the top assistant coaches in prep football across the nation (some of which have recently accepted head coach jobs). This month, we’ll look at 10 of the top staffers in the East.

1. Rob Armstrong, OL/OC, Lowndes (Valdosta, GA): The former Troy State offensive lineman is a three-time head coach who has helped guide the Vikings to back-to-back Class 5A state championships. Both teams averaged over 35 points per game.

2. Terry Bean, DC, Trinity (Louisville, KY): After Bean helped lead Louisville St. Xavier’s defense to four state championships in the ‘90s, he did the same with St X’s archrival, Trinity, in 2005 when the Shamrocks defeated the nationally ranked Tigers, 14-6, in the 4A final.

3. Jeff Curtis, QB/RBs John Curtis (River Ridge, LA): The former Tulane quarterback is the son of 400-win coach J.T. Curtis and grandson of the school’s founder, the late John Curtis. He has participated in six of Curtis’ 20 state titles as a player or a coach.

4. J.R. DeRossett, RBs, Warren Central (Indianapolis): DeRossett was hired as head coach at George Jenkins (Lakeland, Fla.) in mid-January. Warren Central has won three straight 5A state titles while averaging nearly 400 rushing yards per game.

5. Jim Gaylor, DC, Maryville (TN): The former Clinton HS head coach has helped George Quarles lead the Rebels to five state titles in six years with a 69-1 record since 2001.

6. Rick Haynes, OC, Colerain (Cincinnati): The longtime assistant to Kerry Coombs has helped guide the Cardinals to a 25-2 record with a Division I state title the last two seasons

7. Mike Heizman, Running game/TEs, St. Xavier (Cincinnati): The former University of Indiana quarterback is in his second tour of duty at St. Xavier. A 27-year coaching veteran, he helped lead the Bombers to their first state championship and a final Top 5 national ranking last fall.

8. Matt Thompson, DC, Armwood (FL): The former Marine helped transform Armwood from perennial doormat into one of the Sunshine State’s elite squads. The Hawks are on a run of 42-3 (including one forfeit loss) with three consecutive 4A state finals appearances and two titles.

9. Jeff Trickey, QB/WRs, Waukesha (WI) West: The one-time former head coach operates the Jeff Trickey Quarterback Camps in the Midwest and West Coast during the off-season. He has helped coach Steve Rux lead the Wolverines to a 19-6 mark the last two years with the Division 2 state title in ‘04.

10. Dickey Wright, DC, Homewood (AL): Key member of Bob Newton’s coaching staff, which is 124-24 with six state cham






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