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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Schutt Sports High School Coaches of the Year

by: Larry Hartstein
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EAST
Jim Morgans, Parkland HS (Allentown, Pa.)


After losing to the Parkland Trojans, opposing coaches invariably remarked on their relentless defense. Parkland’s defensive pursuit was no accident.

The Trojans, who recorded seven straight shutouts en route to a 14-1 season, practice a different pursuit drill every day. One is the rabbit drill.

“We toss the ball to a rabbit – he’s a kid who will run down the sideline,” coach Jim Morgans explained. “Everybody has to hit the ground, pop up, react to the ball, sprint and stay in their lane. If there’s another defender directly in front of them that’s not the proper pursuit lane, we’ll stop the drill and do it over.

“If you’re on the backside of the pursuit, it could be up to 60 yards,” added Morgans, who credited coordinator John Quinn with developing the defense into a great unit. “They simulate a tackle at the end of it. They drop their hips, explode through, get their arms in the proper position.”

Another pursuit drill teaches defenders which player to block on interception returns.

Parkland employs a 3-5 stack that takes advantage of the Trojans’ personnel.

“It’s a defense that employs five linebackers,” Morgans said. “We’re fortunate that we have that type of kid. We’re not blessed with the 240-pound defensive lineman who can run a 4.6, but we are blessed with linebacker-type kids, a bunch of strong safety types.”

Parkland’s run to the state final – a 21-0 loss to Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic – caught some by surprise. After all, the Trojans returned just 12 seniors from a more talented 2006 squad that finished 11-1.

For Morgans, whose 40-year career includes two state titles at Allentown Central Catholic in the 1990s, this was one of his most satisfying seasons.

“It still stings that you lose in a state championship game, but we lost to a real good football team, without question the best team we played all year. I’m just so proud of our kids and our staff for the job they did this year. Except for our kids, the expectation level on the outside wasn’t that high.”

SOUTHEAST
Bill Clark, Prattville HS (Prattville, Al)


Traditionally, Prattville has used a four-man defensive front. Coach Bill Clark decided to tweak his defense even though the Lions were coming off of a 15-0 season.

The result: an even stingier unit and a second straight perfect season. Fittingly, it ended with a 14-0 shutout in the 6A state final.

“We were pretty stocked at linebacker, and with all the spread teams we see, we took one of those ends off the field and just played with that extra linebacker,” Clark said. “And I think it really paid dividends. As more people are going to the spread, it kept us from having to sub so much. We basically kept those guys on the field and could run all our schemes with the same personnel. So we didn’t give it away.

“I had been running a 4-3 for a long time, though we were probably running a 3-man front 50 percent of the time,” he added. “We just felt it was time to make the move.”

Offensively, the Lions went to the spread three years ago. But they still run the ball 60 percent of the time.

That running game suffered a huge loss in the first round of the playoffs, when senior standout Justin Albert hurt his leg. Albert had won co-MVP of the 2006 state championship game.

“[Albert] was a guy who took it the distance, made the big plays,” Clark said. “He is so complete, running and catching, and such a leader. Losing his leadership worried me as much as anything.”

Doctors said Albert partially tore a tendon and, with a brace, wouldn’t aggravate it. Albert returned to action.

“He was very limited but played in the third round, had about 10 carries,” Clark said. “He was a great decoy and just having his leadership on the field meant a lot.”

In the 2007 final against Spain Park, backup Jerodis Williams ran for both touchdowns and was named MVP.

Entering the season, Clark said he knew the biggest challenge would be keeping his players focused. The Lions were that good. He reminded them that no Prattville team had ever repeated as state champion.

“We used that, the chance to make history,” Clark said. “That was something that really influenced them.”

SOUTHWEST
Lance Pogue, South Panola HS (Batesville, Ms)


Taking over a program that had won 60 straight games, first-year South Panola coach Lance Pogue understandably was hesitant to make wholesale changes.

“They were already on a championship level,” Pogue said. “It was kind of a unique situation. I didn’t look at it like I needed to change anything. I had to come in and adapt to what they were doing.”

Still, in leading the Tigers to yet another 15-0 season – South Panola now has won five straight Class 5A state championships and owns the nation’s longest winning streak at 75 games – Pogue altered the offensive scheme.

South Panola used to run the ball almost exclusively with a quarterback who basically served as an extra running back. Pogue wanted to take advantage of new quarterback David Renfroe’s arm, especially in play action. He knew defenses would be clogging the box to stop running back Darius “Tig” Barksdale (2,900-plus rushing yards).

“We went to more of a pro-style set with a zone running scheme,” Pogue said. “It was a little different than what they were used to. They hadn’t used it at all in recent times. The kids were excited about it, but we had to prove to ‘em it was going to be good.”

The Tigers threw eight to 10 times a game, mostly off play action or three-step drops.

South Panola’s biggest test came midway through the regular season when the Tigers trailed 14-0 at halftime at Columbus. They regrouped to win 21-14.

“It could have been an opportunity to panic, and everybody start questioning things,” Pogue said. “We pulled together and stuck with our plan. I thought that was the determining factor in our season.”

Another key factor was Pogue’s coaching staff. When head coach Ricky Woods resigned to take a job in Georgia, three assistants also left for other positions. Pogue brought in assistants who meshed well with the holdovers, including defensive coordinator Willis Wright. Pogue said he didn’t tinker at all with the Tigers’ dominant defense.

“It was probably the best transition you could ask for in this particular situation, with all the success they had had,” Pogue said. “We did a great job of blending in for one common goal. I was just so proud of everybody’s attitude, the ability of the new guys and the old to mix in and become one.”

MIDWEST
Steve Specht, St. Xavier HS (Cincinnati)


Steve Specht knew his Bombers would be loaded, and he scheduled accordingly. With 17 returning starters, including Louisville commitment Darius Ashley at running back, Specht made sure complacency never set in.

He put together the toughest schedule a Cincinnati team had ever played. St. Xavier faced four former Ohio state champions, along with powerhouses from Kentucky (Louisville Trinity), Indiana (Bishop Chatard) and Maryland (DeMatha).

“We hammered the whole idea that complacency is an insult to everybody in the program, and to God,” Specht said. “God’s given you these gifts – what are you going to do with them?”

The Bombers maximized their talent, running the gauntlet 15-0 to earn their second state title in three years. They finished in the top five in every national ranking.

But Specht dealt with a fair share of adversity during what he called “a dream season.”

The explosive Ashley sprained an ankle on the season’s third play from scrimmage and missed the first five games. Quarterback John Hurley blew out his knee in week 8, forcing Specht to start sophomore Luke Massa the rest of the way.

“Whenever you put a sophomore in the game, you get nervous,” Specht said. “But we knew we were really, really good defensively. We could keep the ball in the running backs’ hands, we had a really good offensive line and a great kicking game. So we didn’t panic.”

Specht’s best coaching move might have come before the season. He convinced senior basketball player Greg Scruggs, a drummer in the band, to play football for the first time. The 6-5, 235-pounder posted nine sacks and recently visited Tennessee and Wake Forest.

“For the past four years I had been on Greg’s case and he decided to play this year,” Specht said. “Funny thing about Greg, if he had any clue what he was doing, he probably could have had 15 to 20 sacks. He got better every week.

“You don’t find too many drummers in the band who come out and solidify the D-line.”

WEST
Ed Croson, Birmingham HS (Lake Balboa, Ca)


Experience makes all the difference in Birmingham’s complex defensive scheme, which features 4-6 and 3-3-5 alignments.

“You’ve got to be able to run, and the kids have got to be able to understand where they line up, where their blitz gap is and where the coverage is,” coach Ed Croson said. “It’s like a college scheme in that there’s a lot of adjustments, with the free safety and linebackers making all kinds of calls on the field.”

Out of necessity, Croson started seven sophomores on defense two years ago. That team still made it to the playoff quarterfinals.

But the real payoff came this past season: the Patriots fielded one of the most dominant defensive units in recent memory.

Birmingham (13-1), which won its fourth City title in six years, outscored four playoff opponents 193-19 and allowed just two touchdowns over its final 10 games.

“Our defense was too far ahead of everybody,” Croson said. “That’s because we were forced into that situation two years ago and it paid off. We played Taft in the quarterfinals and held them to negative 25 yards of total offense. Incredible.”

With senior running back Milton Knox (103 career touchdowns, nearly 6,700 rushing yards) leading the way, Birmingham jumped on most teams early and the game was essentially over.

After dropping its opener 20-6 to Crespi, Birmingham trailed for just one series the rest of the season. One series!

Croson has turned Birmingham into a consistent power despite inherent limitations. The football budget is $13,000.

“We’re a city school,” Croson said. “We’ll wear the same jerseys for four or five years. We have shoulder pads that are eight or 10 years old. Things don’t wear out with us; we fix ‘em. “What this season showed is that even if you don’t have all the bells and whistles, and the playing field isn’t always level, if you work hard enough you can compete at a high level.”






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