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Quarterfinal teams seek delicate balance between preparation and holiday
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Here’s to hoping, first and foremost, that your holiday week and weekend are everything you wish for them to be -- loud and boisterous or quiet and contemplative, whichever is closer -- and that you have time to give thanks for everything and everyone around you...
Remember, to that point, the simplest things are worth the thought just as much as the ornate and plentiful parts of our lives.
When you’re a high school football coach that I talk to this week, you’re the small number of a larger fraternity working this week. It’s something as a program you strive for and you’re grateful on multiple fronts -- for the work, the purpose, the camaraderie and the brotherhood. And it doesn’t matter the age group we’re talking about there...
There are 64 teams left chasing championships, and they range from nationally ranked folks to teams chasing places they either haven’t been in a long time or, well, ever...
I went and asked two coaches of a third category -- those that have built programs that anticipate being where we are at this point of the calendar -- about what they plan to do with their weeks and if they’re really all that different.
Rockmart’s Biff Parson was at home after practicing earlier in the day from when I called him.
He and his staff are in their 10th season coaching the Yellow Jackets. The only year his team didn’t win a region title was their first -- nine in a row for them. It’s been a time of six double-digit win seasons, never winning fewer than nine. They’ve appeared in two finals, a semi, and two quarterfinals having never missed the postseason along the way.
“We’re blessed to be in a program where we’re at practicing Thanksgiving week,” he tells me. “We’re really honored and you do look at the journey we have gone on. I’m grateful for all the coaches, players and every part of the community that has us where Rockmart is.”
For those of you not familiar with the Parson family tree, Biff’s dad Ronnie coached in Georgia for 36 years that included being the head coach at Banks County in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Biff played at Liberty, coached at Hart County and then back at Liberty. He spent some time in the World League as QB coach for the Frankfurt Galaxy and is a part of one of the teams that played in the last World Bowl after winning one the year before.
He started helping Dan Duff when he came back to Georgia at Rockmart, went back to Banks for three years as head coach (2013-15), and when the job came open the last time at RHS he took over. Biff will tell you his wife, Anna, had more pull on that hire than any other person. Her grandfather, Bill Keller, was head coach for six seasons in the 1970s and would be principal for more than two decades.
“If you do what’s right, stay the course, and are true to the identity you’ve built, you’ll have successes on the scoreboard and in the community,” he says.
They’ve certainly done that at Rockmart. That’s for sure. This season, they’re 11-1 heading into the matchup with Burke County in the Class 2A quarterfinals. The wins in the first two rounds have been resounding, and it speaks to the consistency of the year.
“Every play and possession matters for us,” Parson admits. “When you go into these games, you make sure the advantage in possessions are yours on offense. When you’re on defense, you make sure you eliminate their possessions. And when you’re talking the kicking game, you try to steal possessions with it. Each week is different, though.”
Last year, Burke County and Rockmart played in the semis and, by Parson’s own admission, Burke hit them in the mouth, losing eventually 35-22. They’re looking to change that this time around one round earlier.
Thursday will be a tradition that has developed on campus. Practice is at 9 a.m. and Parson will invite alums to be a part of the schedule. The former players get a chance to talk to the current team, wearing their letterman jackets, and the floor is open for them to tell their stories and help the team playing Friday in the game of life. Hearing from those leaders on campus is immeasurable.
“I’ll have two Thanksgivings,” Parson tells me. “One at my parents for lunch and one with my wife’s family at night. You build up to be ready over the year so you can really be ready to eat all that food at Thanksgiving. You have to pace yourself.”
Biff figures his two boys will be asleep after the first meal -- maybe his wife, Anna, too. He’s thinking it’ll be a quiet ride home as they get ready for Round Two.
“At meal one, I’m looking forward to the green bean casserole. The second one? The deviled eggs.” He admits to taking three or four on first pass and then, “as many as possible” on the second pass.
“When you have all these traditions, it’s an exciting time for me and for all of us. You know what’s coming.”
Over in Jefferson, both head coach Travis Noland and I waited until he was finished driving home before we caught up on his first two weeks...
It’s another double-digit win season for the Dragons and another appearance in the quarterfinals as Cairo comes to town. Everyone goes through Jefferson as the top-seed in the bracket and the two wins so far in “season three” were by 42 and 35.
“We’re practicing all week at 7:30 a,m.,” he tells me as (I think) I heard a microwave oven going off in the background. “We’ll have a huge family-team breakfast and spend some time together afterwards.” Coach says with his boys married, the house will be a little quieter in the morning, but there will be the late afternoon meal.
“I’m a meat-eater,” he tells me. “But my wife, Julie, does a homemade mac and cheese that has gouda and a bunch of other cheeses in it. That’s my go-to at home on Thanksgiving.”
Jefferson has been consistently ranked in the top four all year long in Class 3A and they haven’t lost since the last non-region game of the year to Class 4A No. 1 North Oconee in mid-September.
“We’re just a solid team,” Noland says. “We don’t have any big commits. We do have some with D2 offers. It’s a real unique group we have and it’s been fun to watch them as the season has gone on.”
He admitted that they have been consistent all year and that goes all the way back to what Coach saw in off-season workouts in the summer. There have been zero distractions or problems and the group has handled themselves well.
I asked about this weekend- after the multi-cheese mac and cheese...
“We’ve spent too much time on Cairo,” he says laughing with the microwave telling him his meal was ready. “They’re very fast. They’ve played well and been on quite a run for the last four weeks -- getting that big win last week over Troup.” I asked him if he was going to do anything to the surface to slow the visitors down -- mow it funny, drown it ... anything like that?
“I think Mother Nature has been taking care of the water part the last few days. But, no... nothing special... We’re just going to paint the field up and play. We can’t worry about the opponent. We just have to control how well we play Friday.”
There are 63 other teams that will try and do the same thing after all the finest meats and cheeses and being with family -- blood and otherwise.
Be safe and well so we can talk about it all on Friday!
Play it safe, everyone... I’ll see you soon!
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