Calhoun County, AL Calhoun County, Alabama Notes and news taken from Calhoun County Quarterback Club Media Day The reality of four coaches who are new, one coach who is familiar in a new location gets settled
By Joe Medley
Jonathan Miller wore a striped white shirt with an Piedmont “P” symbol at the Friday’s Calhoun County Quarterback Club Media Day.
Anniston’s Rico Jackson, Saks’ Alphonso Freeney Weaver’s Ken Cofer and White Plains’ Blake Jennings made their first appearances as head coaches.
Their new positions have taken several weeks, or even months, to get used to. However, there’s something about the signature event of the county for football that has made it real.
A new and old friend in a new venue dominated the day’s events on the field at Anniston Country Club. It’s quite jarring, but the county that’s developed the habit of putting together between seven and nine teams for playoffs each year provides upward mobility.
“I’m nearing the end of my career when it’s my goal to be a champion in all honesty,” said Miller who has won 100 games in his eleven seasons while Saks the team’s head coach.”It was like that in my final years at Saks. It was our aim before the start of this season.”
The number of coaching change marks an upswing However, consider this. Of the county’s 13 football playing school, seven of them have had to change head coaches within the last two years. Jeremy Satcher enters his second season as Donoho’s chief coach, while Chris Findley enters his second as Ohatchee’s permanent coach after being interim coach in the latter part during the year 2021.
Sam Adams enters his third season at Oxford.
In the meantime, think about Steve Smith at Westbrook Christian located in nearby Etowah County, who had just completed 17 years at Piedmont. Take into consideration Gary Atchley, a long-time coach in several sports at Weaver as a Jacksonville staff member.
Changes swept across Calhoun County with force, and lots of communities have been learning about new characters in the top of the high-profile sports.
At Anniston Fans just need to get used to that they have a new last name. Jackson joined the team following Rico White moved on to Mae Jemison. The new manager offers a fresh perspective from different parts of the state.
His professional career has taken him to Birmingham and Mobile. Mobile and Birmingham regions and he has found Calhoun County talent eye-opening.
“What struck me was not just the athletic abilities but also the capacity to be able to process information quickly,” he said. “Our students at Anniston know football.
“To me, this is evident from their enthusiasm, their concern for the sport, and I would guess the totality of their interest in the game. When you begin talking about college football they travel to specific places. They travel to Mobile and they head to Birmingham and now I understand why they travel here to East Alabama. It’s certainly underrated and unappreciated My job is to help promote the area in which we live in the field of athletics.”
Freeney, who was a player at Jacksonville State University, brings insight from his experience as a coach in Florida. He transformed the team of Tampa’s Pasco High School from winless in 2021 to 9-2 by 2022, his only season as head coach.
What is what’s the main difference in coaching between Florida or Alabama? Time and resources.
“In Florida, they have numerous resources for students that they don’t have,” he said. “Half my children, we’ll be done with 7-on-7, and they’re playing on another team in 7-on-7 or they’ll go to their personal trainer, and the like..
“The one thing I’ve noticed is that there’s so much going on in the city that you don’t have time to connect together as a unit. In my group were in Florida were always in a gym and then, when the exercise is over the gym is gone. I’m probably spending more time with them as I do with my children at home which isn’t an issue.”
Cofer is also from the other side of the state. Prior to working for the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator for Cleburne County He was also a head coach during five assignments within Georgia: Cook High School (2010-14), Bacon County High School (2014-16), Dodge County High School (2016-18 and 2019-21) and Wilcox County High School (2018-19).
His method starts with the things that work in every state.
“Weight room, for me, is the top priority in the world,” he said. “Some people are successful without the use of a gym and by training their kids however we’re not a believer in the notion that they can win without a weight room. We’re attempting to build physical and mental toughness and we’re working to get at people’s tails to be honest and they’ve accepted it as a fact.
“It’s an ongoing process of learning. We aren’t sure how to perform certain things in the weight room. It’s fast. It’s heavy, therefore proper technique. My name is USA Weightlifting certified, and I’m proud of it in teaching my students the correct way to lift and not letting them become injured.”
Jennings is an old friend who has moved to a new location However, White Plains marks his maiden experience as a head coach. He was Ohatchee’s long-running defensive coordinator, but Findley says that he was a long-time colleague and friend Alexandria graduated as having been more as the role of a “co-head director.”
As a Cofer with the Weaver team that’s been able to win three games in the span of four years, Jennings must overcome history. White Plains made the playoffs one time, in 1994, and hasn’t had a successful season since 2003.
Jennings is a difficult sell, but he’s managed to score one victory in selling. He swayed his longtime White Plains head boys’ basketball coach Chris Randall onto the football staff for the first time in 8 years.
Similar to Cofer, Jennings said he will begin a culture-building program in the gym.
While Cofer stated that his decision to join Weaver was primarily about the opportunity to run his own program once more, Jennings’ has long wanted to be a coach for an athletic team at a high school. Friday’s events in Anniston Country Club Anniston Country Club offered his first opportunity to step onto the stage in this capacity.
“Being here is awesome, and it’s amazing but at the end of the day, it’s about being a teacher to the kids,” Jennings said. “That’s the work we do.
“I’m an (science) teacher as well. Two classes I have taught throughout the daytime. If you decide to enter this business, you’ll find that into this field, it is about building relationships with children. In the end, they are children, and to be an effective leader and guiding children in a positive direction is a must. it’s not about a title or any other thing. It’s just being around them and following the correct way.”
The story will be updated regularly with quotes from all the new coaches as well as information from schools around the world.
Media Day moments
Other New Faces:Player comings and goings were the topic of discussion on Media Day, and offseason actions could be a factor in 2023.
The former Saks player Gavin Doss moved to Anniston The move will permit Jackson to make use of a receiver/defensive back/kick returner as well as Auburn committed Jayden “J-Money” Lewis in numerous ways. Jackson stated.
Saks also identified Doss as a replacement for Jamorris Young opted to follow his older brother Sean Parnell’s path to success. Young was transferred from Ohatchee and could begin his career with Saks as an incoming freshman, Freeney said.
“He appears to be an older person,” Freeney said.
Another fascinating mover is athletics player Jesse Gannaway, who moved from Pleasant Valley to Jacksonville Christian and hopes to aid in helping the Thunder get back in the Alabama Christian Schools final.
A former Donoho football player Will Folsom participated in Media Day for Ohatchee. He was transferred prior to the start of spring playing baseball at Ohatchee. He’ll be part of the Indians contest to replace veteran player Bryce Noah.
Oxford already has a solid wide receiver team that was returning with Nick Richardson and Judd Syer as well as Camare Hampton came in after transferring from Lincoln, Adams said. This move allows the 6’4 jumper Jayden Lewis, who was the most successful player in the Calhoun County basketball tournament as a sophomore, to transition from tight end to receiver.
This makes for a fascinating group of passers who will work together with Mason Mims, a junior and second-year quarterback who has offers from Mississippi State, from the SEC.
“GROWN man says bad Word”: A Media Day question spurred Adams to speak about the vivid word that newly appointed Pell City coach Rush Propst shouted across the field at Adams in an interception in a 7-on-7.
Adams’ word? “Overblown.”
Adams who covers the high-school sports scene in Birmingham and Birmingham, asked why the tense moment on a hot day was the subject of a report.
“I cannot help but imagine the reaction I’d received if I had brought back an article and the headline reads (in in)”Grown man speaks a”bad word,”” Adams said.
In terms of notions of negative blood relations, Adams said he and Propst quickly left the scene.
“In a seven-on-7 situation there are no fans, no band, and there’s not even a P.A.,” Adams stated. “Everybody is able to hear all the time. When you’re involved in these kinds of situations, the players are playing. The coaches are competing and sometimes, it’s the case that things are discussed but should they be the focus of news? Absolutely not. It’s not my intention to get into the trap of making this something that is coach-versus-coach.
“I met with the coach shortly following that. This is just about it a few seconds after what was described in the report as the scene. What we discussed was parking and ticket prices immediately after the entire incident. It’s amazing to think that there’s this rivalry between programs and coaches and the like in the grand scheme of things this isn’t the case at all. … The entire matter, in my view was a complete oversimplification in every sense.”
