supercentex
12-01-2005, 09:56 AM
Welch focused heading into 5A regional final
Sports editor Mark W. Miller was the Copperas Cove beat writer from 1995-2003. He held a question-and-answer session Wednesday with head football coach Jack Welch, whose team will play No. 4 Lufkin on Friday night in a Division II-5A regional final.
Q: This is the first game Cove has ever played in December. How exciting is that?
A: I'll be honest with you, I've never thought about playing in December as meaning anything to me. But the state championship is in December, so Advertisement
it's exciting to play.
I just realized today that our semester is almost over. I'm just so focused every week on who we play and what we're doing, I lose track of time and everything.
Q: You've obviously got some great players, but if I thumb through Texas Football magazine or check out the Internet recruiting sites, I'm not going to find a lot of Cove names ...
A: We have a lot of great players because they're playing as a team. and when they play as a team, great things happen for individuals. ... We don't have what you'd consider to be any superstars. We don't have a lot of top-10 ranked players in the state, but because they've come together and they've unified themselves and dedicated themselves to taking care of their business, the team has helped a lot of guys stand out.
Q: I ran into you at Buckley Stadium early in the season. Your team had recently cracked the top 10 and you were kind of amused by that. You thought your team was overrated. There are only 12 5A teams still playing right now. Surely you would concede your team is worthy of the ranking now.
A: I think we're a worthy team because we've proved it. ... We've got to be one of the top 12. Like I told you then, it's what you end at that makes a difference.
Q: How has the team developed since that time?
A: They're focused, they're intense, they take practice very seriously and watch film very seriously. And then when we went to the playoffs, we actually stepped up a notch and a lot of that came from our scout group. We brought kids up on our scout team. It's an honor to be our scout team. Not everybody's on our scout team. Players were selected from our JV and freshman squads and those guys have dedicated themselves and it has helped our football team.
Matter of fact, we had a couple of kids step up and are helping us even on the varsity. We continue to get better simply because of the focus of the players.
Players will respond to their leadership and I have got a fantastic coaching staff. And I've said this a bunch and I mean it with all my heart: As a head coach, there's probably better, but as a coaching staff, I feel very lucky and very fortunate to have the coordinators that I have and the assistant coaches that we have, because they are dedicated, and when they're dedicated and they're intense like they are, the players respond accordingly.
Q: It's often said that a team is "peaking at the right time." Do you believe in that and is that happening with your team?
A: Yes, but I take it a step farther than that. It's being focused on being the best you can be. You're either going up or you're going down. There's no leveling off. They're saying the word 'peak' because we continue to get better.
We're continuing to get better because we continue to practice. We're getting to play. And if you're truly trying to get better and you're staying focused in your practices, then you'll continually get better.
The strength of this team is staying focused and working their tails off and trying to get prepared for each ballgame. That's what's helping this football team. I don't have any discipline problems. It's a rare thing for me to have a discipline problem with a kid. They're here on time, they do what they have to do, they're handling their business, they get their grades.
When you get a group of kids that are committed and they buy into the program like that, you've got a chance to be a winner. I don't care what sport it is.
Q: Speaking of your coaches, you must be thrilled to see former defensive coordinator Rodney Southern having so much success at Marshall.
A: I'm proud as punch for Rodney. He's a class act, one of the best there is. And you've got Chris Morgan, the offensive line coach for (Spring) Westfield. They're in the final four of Division I. And then you've got Garrett Morgan. He was at Texas High in Texarkana and they were in the playoffs. Then you've got Andrew Swasey, the head strength coach at the University of Miami. I think the Miami Hurricanes are doing pretty good.
We've had a lot of good coaches that have gone on to do great. And I think we continue to get great coaches.
Q: Early in your tenure at Cove, it seemed like an annual rite of winter for you to explore other jobs. Twelve seasons later, you're still here. Why?
A: I think the Lord has led me here for a purpose and I have felt called to stay here. I have had several opportunities to leave but I just feel that this is where God wants me and my family right now.
Q: What do the Bulldawgs have to do Friday night to advance to the state semifinals?
A: We have to play our 'A' game. We have to play the best game we've played all year. We're playing a very athletic football team.
We've got to make sure that we take care of the football. We can't lay the football on the ground. We've got to sustain drives offensively. And defensively, we cannot let that big pass get behind us. We can't let the big play happen. They're going to make some small plays here and there. We've just got to keep it in front of us.
These guys (Lufkin) do a great job with their kicking game because they're so fast. So we've got to make sure we play field position with our kicking game. And if we do all those things, we're going to have a chance to win. And if we have a chance to win, I think that when the fourth quarter comes, we're going to win.
Sports editor Mark W. Miller was the Copperas Cove beat writer from 1995-2003. He held a question-and-answer session Wednesday with head football coach Jack Welch, whose team will play No. 4 Lufkin on Friday night in a Division II-5A regional final.
Q: This is the first game Cove has ever played in December. How exciting is that?
A: I'll be honest with you, I've never thought about playing in December as meaning anything to me. But the state championship is in December, so Advertisement
it's exciting to play.
I just realized today that our semester is almost over. I'm just so focused every week on who we play and what we're doing, I lose track of time and everything.
Q: You've obviously got some great players, but if I thumb through Texas Football magazine or check out the Internet recruiting sites, I'm not going to find a lot of Cove names ...
A: We have a lot of great players because they're playing as a team. and when they play as a team, great things happen for individuals. ... We don't have what you'd consider to be any superstars. We don't have a lot of top-10 ranked players in the state, but because they've come together and they've unified themselves and dedicated themselves to taking care of their business, the team has helped a lot of guys stand out.
Q: I ran into you at Buckley Stadium early in the season. Your team had recently cracked the top 10 and you were kind of amused by that. You thought your team was overrated. There are only 12 5A teams still playing right now. Surely you would concede your team is worthy of the ranking now.
A: I think we're a worthy team because we've proved it. ... We've got to be one of the top 12. Like I told you then, it's what you end at that makes a difference.
Q: How has the team developed since that time?
A: They're focused, they're intense, they take practice very seriously and watch film very seriously. And then when we went to the playoffs, we actually stepped up a notch and a lot of that came from our scout group. We brought kids up on our scout team. It's an honor to be our scout team. Not everybody's on our scout team. Players were selected from our JV and freshman squads and those guys have dedicated themselves and it has helped our football team.
Matter of fact, we had a couple of kids step up and are helping us even on the varsity. We continue to get better simply because of the focus of the players.
Players will respond to their leadership and I have got a fantastic coaching staff. And I've said this a bunch and I mean it with all my heart: As a head coach, there's probably better, but as a coaching staff, I feel very lucky and very fortunate to have the coordinators that I have and the assistant coaches that we have, because they are dedicated, and when they're dedicated and they're intense like they are, the players respond accordingly.
Q: It's often said that a team is "peaking at the right time." Do you believe in that and is that happening with your team?
A: Yes, but I take it a step farther than that. It's being focused on being the best you can be. You're either going up or you're going down. There's no leveling off. They're saying the word 'peak' because we continue to get better.
We're continuing to get better because we continue to practice. We're getting to play. And if you're truly trying to get better and you're staying focused in your practices, then you'll continually get better.
The strength of this team is staying focused and working their tails off and trying to get prepared for each ballgame. That's what's helping this football team. I don't have any discipline problems. It's a rare thing for me to have a discipline problem with a kid. They're here on time, they do what they have to do, they're handling their business, they get their grades.
When you get a group of kids that are committed and they buy into the program like that, you've got a chance to be a winner. I don't care what sport it is.
Q: Speaking of your coaches, you must be thrilled to see former defensive coordinator Rodney Southern having so much success at Marshall.
A: I'm proud as punch for Rodney. He's a class act, one of the best there is. And you've got Chris Morgan, the offensive line coach for (Spring) Westfield. They're in the final four of Division I. And then you've got Garrett Morgan. He was at Texas High in Texarkana and they were in the playoffs. Then you've got Andrew Swasey, the head strength coach at the University of Miami. I think the Miami Hurricanes are doing pretty good.
We've had a lot of good coaches that have gone on to do great. And I think we continue to get great coaches.
Q: Early in your tenure at Cove, it seemed like an annual rite of winter for you to explore other jobs. Twelve seasons later, you're still here. Why?
A: I think the Lord has led me here for a purpose and I have felt called to stay here. I have had several opportunities to leave but I just feel that this is where God wants me and my family right now.
Q: What do the Bulldawgs have to do Friday night to advance to the state semifinals?
A: We have to play our 'A' game. We have to play the best game we've played all year. We're playing a very athletic football team.
We've got to make sure that we take care of the football. We can't lay the football on the ground. We've got to sustain drives offensively. And defensively, we cannot let that big pass get behind us. We can't let the big play happen. They're going to make some small plays here and there. We've just got to keep it in front of us.
These guys (Lufkin) do a great job with their kicking game because they're so fast. So we've got to make sure we play field position with our kicking game. And if we do all those things, we're going to have a chance to win. And if we have a chance to win, I think that when the fourth quarter comes, we're going to win.