‘Can you believe it?’
In the emotional aftermath of last Saturday’s football championship game, Jefferson High School head coach T. McFerrin looked around the large domed stadium, as if studying the steel structure that holds up the roof.
Around the diminutive coach were his boys, several of whom had carried him on their shoulders to mid-field in the moments after they had vanquished their opponent to win the state AA title, the first state football championship in the school’s history.
It wasn’t supposed to turn out that way. Jefferson was a huge underdog going into the game. They faced the returning champions, a team that had won 29 games in a row, been to the Dome five times in a row and had rolled over every other team it played this year. Many fans here just hoped Jefferson would play a good game; few thought winning was really in the cards.
So Jefferson’s victory was a major upset and coach McFerrin was obviously soaking in the moment last Saturday, his face blank as if he, too, had been stunned by what his boys had just done on the field. They didn’t just win, they dominated.
Superintendent John Jackson walked over amid the crush of the crowd and gave his coach a hug and words of congratulations.
“Can you believe it?” McFerrin said softly, his emotions held in check, but just barely.
That pretty well summed up the feelings of an entire community: Can you believe it?
Saturday in the Dome you could find the entire town of Jefferson, or so it seemed. Those that did not make the trek to Atlanta for the state championship finals sat at home glued to their TV watching the affair. The pride of a small town was on full display, too. The stands were packed with a sea of blue that shouted and clapped and screamed until every throat was raw. That noise echoed, running around the floor and ceiling and walls and back again. The boys did the running and the sweating, but an entire community felt every hit. When it was all over, the fans were about as exhausted as the boys.
For an entire town to be focused on the same thing at the same moment and to share a joint sense of pride is rare in today’s fractured society. Saturday’s victory was about a lot of things, but chief among those was the sense of “community” it created. Not just that one game, but all the unlikely games this year that cumulated on a tiny stage Saturday when the shiny silver trophy was raised. If that moment didn’t make you tear up, you have a heart made of stone.
There are a lot of things that led to that JHS championship trophy. High on that list is coaching. McFerrin was coaxed out of retirement by superintendent Jackson to take on the head coach’s job at JHS. It proved to be a good move. There is wisdom in experience.
A good coach makes several key decisions: He surrounds himself with good assistant coaches; he senses how to best use and deploy the players he has and doesn’t worry about the superstars he doesn’t have; and he instinctively understands his opponents’ weaknesses and finds a way to exploit that.
Not all coaches do those things well. One can get a pretty good sense about a coach and his team by walking around the sidelines during a game, watching and listening to how they speak and interact with players during the heat of battle. From the sidelines, McFerrin is among the best coaches this writer has seen in a lifetime of sideline eavesdropping.
The quality of athletes, of course, also plays a large role in a football team’s success. Sometimes all it takes is one or two key guys to carry a team, big playmakers whose impact is far greater than their number. Think Herschel Walker in 1980.
JHS does have some key players this year. Quarterback Bryant Shirreffs is among the best high school quarterbacks in the state. His ability to both throw and run “Tim Tebow style” made him dangerous to opponents who often misjudged him. But it was his coolness under pressure that must have really unnerved a lot of opposing teams. He never seemed to get rattled and no matter what the situation, he would come up with the big pass or run at just the right time. That kind of confidence helps keep an offense moving down the field and putting points on the scoreboard.
On defense, the intensity of linebacker Wesley Simonton had a lot to do with keeping JHS in close games. Simonton seemed to be all over the field making plays. He was always looking for someone to hit. But it was more than that. Where Shirreffs was calm and exuded confidence on offense, Simonton was emotionally intense. No matter what the situation or how much a team had driven down the field, Simonton seemed to always believe JHS could stop them. And they did, multiple times. Simonton’s energy was almost palatable and seemed to keep the defense going even when they had to be dog-tired. You just can’t overstate the role such leadership plays in a team’s success.
And yet, this team was more than just two players. Who would have thought in August that this JHS team would become state champions? They weren’t huge. They weren’t the fastest kids on the field. And their opening game in Commerce was ugly.
But somehow, McFerrin and his coaches got the most out of every boy on every play. You always had the sense that this team was playing above its head — week after week after week. What seemed impossible became possible.
The community itself also played a role in this team’s success. Jefferson has a lot of pride in its athletics and has a long tradition of success in various sports. Expectations are perhaps intangible, but community standards do shape the big picture. Nothing breeds success like success. When a community has high expectations and a history of success, it’s amazing how often others rise to meet that standard.
And it’s a community’s culture that lures in the kind of coaching and players that will lead to success. Who wants to coach for a town where there are no expectations and no support? High schools and football teams don’t exist in a vacuum. Community support — both overt and intangible — are fuel for success.
For the community, it’s good to have this kind of event to rally around. It cuts across all of the artificial lines that have come to define us. Whether rich or poor, black or white, young or old, liberal or conservative, we all celebrate the success of the JHS football team this year.
Last Saturday was a moment that will live for a long time in the community’s memory. It will become lore and legend for the school and for the future generations of kids who follow. And while these young men will go on to lives full of new pursuits and challenges, they will long remember the role they played in bringing a community together in the fall of 2012.
Amid the tragedy of the world we live in, this is one of those rare moments to savor and enjoy. As McFerrin said Saturday, “Can you believe it?”
Mike Buffington is editor of The Jackson Herald. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.
It wasn’t supposed to turn out that way. Jefferson was a huge underdog going into the game. They faced the returning champions, a team that had won 29 games in a row, been to the Dome five times in a row and had rolled over every other team it played this year. Many fans here just hoped Jefferson would play a good game; few thought winning was really in the cards.
So Jefferson’s victory was a major upset and coach McFerrin was obviously soaking in the moment last Saturday, his face blank as if he, too, had been stunned by what his boys had just done on the field. They didn’t just win, they dominated.
Superintendent John Jackson walked over amid the crush of the crowd and gave his coach a hug and words of congratulations.
“Can you believe it?” McFerrin said softly, his emotions held in check, but just barely.
That pretty well summed up the feelings of an entire community: Can you believe it?
Saturday in the Dome you could find the entire town of Jefferson, or so it seemed. Those that did not make the trek to Atlanta for the state championship finals sat at home glued to their TV watching the affair. The pride of a small town was on full display, too. The stands were packed with a sea of blue that shouted and clapped and screamed until every throat was raw. That noise echoed, running around the floor and ceiling and walls and back again. The boys did the running and the sweating, but an entire community felt every hit. When it was all over, the fans were about as exhausted as the boys.
For an entire town to be focused on the same thing at the same moment and to share a joint sense of pride is rare in today’s fractured society. Saturday’s victory was about a lot of things, but chief among those was the sense of “community” it created. Not just that one game, but all the unlikely games this year that cumulated on a tiny stage Saturday when the shiny silver trophy was raised. If that moment didn’t make you tear up, you have a heart made of stone.
There are a lot of things that led to that JHS championship trophy. High on that list is coaching. McFerrin was coaxed out of retirement by superintendent Jackson to take on the head coach’s job at JHS. It proved to be a good move. There is wisdom in experience.
A good coach makes several key decisions: He surrounds himself with good assistant coaches; he senses how to best use and deploy the players he has and doesn’t worry about the superstars he doesn’t have; and he instinctively understands his opponents’ weaknesses and finds a way to exploit that.
Not all coaches do those things well. One can get a pretty good sense about a coach and his team by walking around the sidelines during a game, watching and listening to how they speak and interact with players during the heat of battle. From the sidelines, McFerrin is among the best coaches this writer has seen in a lifetime of sideline eavesdropping.
The quality of athletes, of course, also plays a large role in a football team’s success. Sometimes all it takes is one or two key guys to carry a team, big playmakers whose impact is far greater than their number. Think Herschel Walker in 1980.
JHS does have some key players this year. Quarterback Bryant Shirreffs is among the best high school quarterbacks in the state. His ability to both throw and run “Tim Tebow style” made him dangerous to opponents who often misjudged him. But it was his coolness under pressure that must have really unnerved a lot of opposing teams. He never seemed to get rattled and no matter what the situation, he would come up with the big pass or run at just the right time. That kind of confidence helps keep an offense moving down the field and putting points on the scoreboard.
On defense, the intensity of linebacker Wesley Simonton had a lot to do with keeping JHS in close games. Simonton seemed to be all over the field making plays. He was always looking for someone to hit. But it was more than that. Where Shirreffs was calm and exuded confidence on offense, Simonton was emotionally intense. No matter what the situation or how much a team had driven down the field, Simonton seemed to always believe JHS could stop them. And they did, multiple times. Simonton’s energy was almost palatable and seemed to keep the defense going even when they had to be dog-tired. You just can’t overstate the role such leadership plays in a team’s success.
And yet, this team was more than just two players. Who would have thought in August that this JHS team would become state champions? They weren’t huge. They weren’t the fastest kids on the field. And their opening game in Commerce was ugly.
But somehow, McFerrin and his coaches got the most out of every boy on every play. You always had the sense that this team was playing above its head — week after week after week. What seemed impossible became possible.
The community itself also played a role in this team’s success. Jefferson has a lot of pride in its athletics and has a long tradition of success in various sports. Expectations are perhaps intangible, but community standards do shape the big picture. Nothing breeds success like success. When a community has high expectations and a history of success, it’s amazing how often others rise to meet that standard.
And it’s a community’s culture that lures in the kind of coaching and players that will lead to success. Who wants to coach for a town where there are no expectations and no support? High schools and football teams don’t exist in a vacuum. Community support — both overt and intangible — are fuel for success.
For the community, it’s good to have this kind of event to rally around. It cuts across all of the artificial lines that have come to define us. Whether rich or poor, black or white, young or old, liberal or conservative, we all celebrate the success of the JHS football team this year.
Last Saturday was a moment that will live for a long time in the community’s memory. It will become lore and legend for the school and for the future generations of kids who follow. And while these young men will go on to lives full of new pursuits and challenges, they will long remember the role they played in bringing a community together in the fall of 2012.
Amid the tragedy of the world we live in, this is one of those rare moments to savor and enjoy. As McFerrin said Saturday, “Can you believe it?”
Mike Buffington is editor of The Jackson Herald. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.
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