2008 Hatley High School Football Preview

Hawkins hopes to lead teammates back to playoffs

By Chris Rushing

HATLEY - All across the country, high school football teams are surviving the August heat and humidity as September draws near. While the sprinklers water the playing surface of Hatley High School’s football stadium, the 2008 edition of the Tigers press on towards its Aug. 28 opening tilt with Nettleton.

Just behind the visitors’ stands, 22 young men daily sweat out drill after drill to the sounds of whistles and instruction from head coach Jeff Brooks and his staff. On a roster short of veterans, Zach Hawkins carries with him the distinction of being the only Tiger to have played on all four teams in the Brooks era.

Heading into his fourth and final season in the blue and yellow, Hawkins feels a sense of urgency to put his stamp on his teammates and the Class 2A Hatley program.

“Being the only senior, I have to do everything perfect,” Hawkins said. “If you don’t do things perfectly, the younger guys aren’t going to look up to you. I have to set a good example.”

Hawkins’ strive for perfection is one that has not gone unnoticed by his coaches.

“It’s a little more difficult because usually there’s more than one (senior),” Brooks explained. “Zach was part of my first team here. He’s a player that will verbally step up when he needs to, but more importantly, he shows everyone else how to do things with his actions. He is going to play harder than everyone else, and if he does something wrong, he will come up to the coaches and ask us to run it again.

“That’s exactly what you want. A lot of people can talk, but when you see someone go through with it and walk the walk - that speaks a lot louder to me than by just saying it.”

Not only has Hawkins impressed his coaches in preseason camp, but he has also started a trend amongst some of the underclassmen.

“Some of our juniors have seen the need to step up along with Zack, and they’ve done a great job of being leaders for us,” Brooks added. “That’s been a big plus for us.”

With just eight starters (three offensive, five defensive) returning from the injury-plagued and winless 2007 team, Brooks is again working with a youthful roster that will feature a freshman under center for the season’s first snap thanks to a summer injury to incumbent starter Luke Renfro.

“We are very, very young,” Brooks said to describe his starting lineup, which features nine underclassmen with first-string status. “Every now and then, we’ll have one of those days where we have to stop practice and show them a technique or two. Every day, we’re seeing guys learn more and they’re starting to show that they’re getting more comfortable.

“Mostly, we have been very pleased with the effort from our younger players as well as our veterans because they’ve been ready to come to practice and ready to learn what we’re trying to teach them. They have picked up very quickly on what we’re trying to put in.”

Renfro figured to play a prominent role for the Tigers this season, not only in the offensive backfield but also on special teams.

“Along with being our QB, Luke was our kicker and our punter last year, and he did a great job for us,” Brooks quipped. “We have been working on finding his replacement, and we have a pretty good idea of who will be starting and handling the kicking and punting duties. We are focused on finding players to back those guys up to help fill the loss of Luke on special teams.”

As Renfro went through summer workouts, he began experiencing headaches and dizziness, alerting his parents and coaches. After consulting with doctors and specialists, he underwent season-ending surgery to help repair some internal injuries sustained in a car accident a couple of years earlier.

“Now, he just has to find out what the long-term effects are going to be,” said Brooks.

Looking to fill his shoes will be freshman Caleb Walters, who the Tigers will look to captain their two-back offensive scheme.

“We have to adjust our scheme a little bit to take some pressure off Caleb as he gets a feel for everything,” Brooks explained. “We are going to focus on establishing the run first and pass second. One of the keys to this offense will be how fast our youth adapts. We are still going to throw the ball, but we want to make sure Caleb’s comfortable at the quarterback position.”

Brooks will reassume playcalling duties after last season’s offensive assistant, Michael Campbell, left for Tupelo High School over the summer. To fill the void on his staff, Brooks turned to Jamie Edwards, who will rejoin Hatley’s coaching ranks following a year’s absence from the program.

“Any time you have a coaching change, it’s going to take adjusting,” Brooks said. “Our guys spent a year working with Coach Campbell, and even though Coach Edwards has worked with most of these guys before, there will still be a little transition. We’ve moved some positions around on the staff because of Coach Campbell leaving.”

Defensively, the Tigers will use a four-man front base scheme loaded with underclassmen. According to Brooks, the defense’s success begins and ends with gap control.

Sophomore Codi Taylor will help anchor the linebacker corps and also faces the task of being a leader despite his age.

“We have to keep coming out here and keep learning more of what we have to do,” Taylor explained. “Guys are starting to get a grasp on the individual tasks that they have to do. We have a pretty young team with a lot of freshmen, but we know we’re getting better.”

Another linebacker, Joseph Neal, agrees with Taylor’s sentiments.

“We’re all working pretty hard and trying to give it our best shot,” Neal said. “We come out to practice every day to get more mentally ready, and we’re doing what we can to help us win on Fridays.”

While the heat and humidity show no signs of letting up any time soon, the Tigers mirror that relentless charge to improve their readiness on the football field.

“They’re coming along,” Brooks surmised as he stood on the practice field watching his team participate in conditioning drills. “We’re getting there.”

As Brooks and Co. test their squad of its strength and endurance, the players have set their sights on one elusive target for the 2008 campaign.

“We are looking to make the playoffs,” Hawkins explained. “We haven’t made it to the playoffs in quite some time, and I know it would mean a lot to Hatley if we could get there. That’s our main goal right now.”

On Aug. 28, Hawkins and the Tigers will begin their quest to reach that solitary goal.




Players to Watch:

Zach Hawkins, Sr.
Facts: Lone senior on the roster; only player who has been a part of all four teams coached by Jeff Brooks at Hatley.

Q: If you could pick any teammate to be your tag-team partner in a wrestling match, who would it be?
A: “Joseph Neal because he plays on the line and has put on a bunch of weight. He’d be a good one.”

Q: Have you pulled any fun pranks on your teammates this summer?
A: “I’ve messed with some of their name plates on top of their lockers. It’s just something small.”

Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: “Wanted. I loved the action in the movie.”

Codi Taylor, So.
Q: What’s your favorite food?
A: “Steak. I love a good steak, and I like to eat.”

Q: Do you have any nicknames?
A: “Iron Tiger.”

Collin Walters, Jr.
Q: What’s your favorite movie?
A: “Gridiron Gang. I love it because it’s a football movie.”

Q: If you could drive any car, what would it be?
A: “It’d definitely be a 2008 Mustang GT 500.”

Joseph Neal, Jr.
Q: What’s your favorite food?
A: “Fried shrimp.”

Q: If you could drive any car, what would it be?
A: “I’ve always wanted a Mustang Cobra.”

Q: What’s your favorite movie?
A: “Semi-Pro. I’m a big Will Ferrell fan.”