Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

My story begins with letting first year coaches know there are four specific things they need to avoid, especially when they are first year head coaches.

NUMBER ONE - I'd never recommend following a legend. A legendary coach would be someone who the field is named after.

NUMBER TWO - I don't think you ever want to lose to your biggest rival. That's the one all the alumni remember and want to win the most.

NUMBER THREE - You really don't want to lose your first game of the year, especially if it's at home. That's the one that sets the stage for the rest of the season..

NUMBER FOUR - You certainly don't want to lose to a team that has a long losing streak. You just don't want to be that team that allowed them to break that streak.

Well, as a first year head coach, I checked all four of those boxes.

(1) I followed a legend, Coach Turney Ford. The name speaks for itself. The field there is named after Coach Ford.

(2) We opened up with our biggest rival within that county - the Carthage Owls. And if you are a true Gordonsville Tiger, you don't refer to them as the Smith County, you call them the Carthage.

(3) Our home opener was with the Owls.

(4) We were playing a team that was riding a 27-game losing streak. Coach Gary Rankin inherited a program that had lost their last 17 games. His first year there, they went 0-10.

Coach Rankin, as we all know, is the winningest coach in our state. He's won numerous state championships and his win total is astronomical. But he's been quoted as saying his very first victory was one of his most memorable.

Well, that first win happened to this ole boy who tried to follow a legend, who coached his first game in front of half the county in his home opener and who is the victim of ending that losing streak. I can say all that to say this. As memorable and as special as that game is to Coach Gary Rankin, I'd almost bet you that I remember more about it than he does.

It was certainly a dark day at Black Rock.

NOTE: Mark Medley played football and basketball at Gordonsville High School (Class of 1974). He earned his undergraduate degree at Tennessee Tech (Class of 1978). His head-coaching career included stints at Gordonsville High School (1983-1984) and Lebanon High School (1987-1993).