Three-Time State Champs
Se acebNbat.
Editor’s Note: In our last February’s issue, I wrote Assistant Football Coach and Strength Coach: about Key West High School playing for the State Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida. Coach Pat Freeman invited me down for the game. It was sort of a culmination of our past BFS Clinic. The excitement was intense. The magic aura so Suwannee is the largest 3A school in Florida (5A is the largest classification). We have 910 students in grades 10-12. Live Oak is a small town of about 10,000 unique and special to high school championship people. football was at its best. Key West exploded to a 10-0 agriculture is the number one industry. first quarter lead but then the tide began to change.
Suwannee High has had brief periods of success in The other team, Suwannee High School, played great football over the last 30 years. When Coach Pittman error free ball and just before the half, Randy Banner, came here in 1985, the previous 14 seasons had been who was only a junior, kicked a State Playoff Record under .500. I had been here from 1978-1980 and we were 56-yard field goal for Suwannee to tie the game at 10 2-8, 0-10 and 3-7 respectively. Our Head Coach at that all. time had won 3 State Championships at other schools.
The Suwannee Bulldogs dominated the second half Even coaches with college experience were not able to to come away with their third consecutive state put a winner on the field here. The average stay was championship. I marveled at their confidence and about two years. When we came in 1978, we were the determination. Many of the Suwannee kids weren’t fourth staff our seniors had played for. Suwannee high that big, but boy were they tough. They did swarm on was known as a “coaches graveyard.” defense but most impressive was the fact that they just didn’t make mistakes.
In 1985 the program got off on the right foot. Coach Mike Pittman, a native of Suwannee County, had been After February’s issue Coach Paul Landry called hired for his first head coaching job. His team finished 7- me to comment on the game and the article. It soon 3 that year with a squad of only 25 players. In 1986 the became obvious that we should do an in-depth article Bulldogs finished 5-5 with as many as 7 sophomores on the Suwannee Bulldogs from Live Oak, Florida.
Coach Landry was first introduced to the BFS Program finished 11-2 and won our first State Championship. We and brought it to Live Oak Suwannee in 1987. They returned about 17 starters in 1988, finished 12-1 for our certainly made it happen. The Dream. The Goal. The second Championship. In 1989, we returned only 3 Glory. starters on offense and 3 on defense. Our kids played well all year. We finished 11-2 in our third straight State Championship year.
On The Porch.”
Unlike many schools in Florida, we have not been able to have our football players scheduled into one P.E. class. From 1985-1988 our players were scattered in classes throughout the day, not always with a football Ralph Lott #7 returning one of his 10 punts 5A Lakeland High School. Leading the pack are #62 Jimmy Jean and #44 Terry Williams. Protecting the flank are #41 Billy Plummer and #60 Mantrell Brown. coach or in a weight lifting class. At best, we would have 15-18 players (mostly juniors) in one class with a coach. In 1989, we were able to schedule about 30 of our varsity players into one period. We were allotted this “football period” so many of our players had schedule conflicts.
We hope to eliminate these conflicts this year and get all of them into that same period.
Most of our weight training is done after try to get our core lifts in during P.E. All our auxiliary lifts are done after school. Coaches volunteer their time in order to keep the weight room open till about 5 p.m. At this time of year, January till May, we get our eighth graders involved in the program. This program is { suspended during spring training in May, except for Top Dog Matt McMillan doing Front Squats. All-State spotting. those in P.E. Some of our coaches are hired through the Community Education Program to keep the weight room open during the summer.
This, along with volunteer time by the coaches, allows us to make the weight room available to our players and the entire community.
In 1987 and 1988 we only asked our players to come twice a week for workouts. We did not give them anything specific to do and any running they did was on their own. In 1988 we had them come in four days a week for weight workouts. Nearly all of our players have summer jobs so this represents a great sacrifice on their part. An outline of our summer program follows:
Monday: Lineman:
Backs:
Upright Rows Tuesday:
Backs:
Wednesday: Lineman:
Backs:
Thursday: Lineman:
Backs:
Bench (Box) Squats* * On these lifts we follow the BFS cycle of 5 x 5, 5-43-2-1, and 5 x 3 Reps. The fourth week we will max on Monday and Tuesday, and go 10-9-8 Reps on Thursday and Friday. All other lifts are done 3 x 10 Reps. On Dips and Pullups we try to get as many as we can. When a player can do 10 reps, he adds as much weight to his belt that he does 3 x 10 Reps.
The Dogs in the Pack usually come out on top. Chad Hale #59, Continued on next page Mike Dabney #38 and Mantrell Brown #60 for the QB sack.
Chad Hale #59 blocks a pass.
All-Stater Terry Williams #44 Squats 500 and Benches 295.
Mantrell Brown #60 and #65 Sammy Starling.
He is 5-8, 185.
Notice that some players have a white stripe on their helmet and some don’t. Those that do have, won their stripe by administering a hard lick on an opponent. The kind of lick that earns the respect of their teammates and coaches. However, if you don’t live up to your reputation in a later game, you lose your stripe.
Freshman Billy Plummer #41 returned a punt 62 yards for TD in State Title Game. Daryl Harrell #61 on the Quick Pitch.
Many of our players do additional work with HB Marcus Nelson #40, OG Chad Hale #59. program through out the season. We lift on Monday and dumbbells, etc. We have some players that lift together at their homes after school or go to the Spa in town. concentrating on just the core lifts. The ones who are not However, during the summer we try to keep them fortunate enough to have P.E. don’t get a chance to lift. coming to the weight room together. In 1985 T-shirts were given for accomplishing certain goals on the weights (200 Ib. club, etc.). This We have not done enough in this area in the past. practice was discontinued after that.
It has now gotten We have had 2-4 week periods, prior to spring practice, to the point where our kids know they have to come to where we have tried to get our players ready to practice. the weight room in order to be successful. That has been We have done some plyometrics during this time, some motivation enough. They know if we win State, they’Il standard agility drills and some running on the track. be getting Championship rings and jackets.
We encourage all of our players to go out for the track When school starts we try to maintain our strength 6 SUWANNEE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Continued from page 6 team, but this has never been mandatory. This past summer we ran more than we have in the past. Some nights we may run 2 miles after our workout. Other nights we may run sprints. We also have weighted sleds they pull within a harness, for 40 yd. intervals. This running is supervised from a distance, since we are not allowed on the field with the players at this time of year.
Other Group Work We are very committed to the passing game. Our QB's attend a camp every summer where they learn the mechanics of throwing the football. When they return, they throw everyday using the drills they pick up at the camp. They will team up with the receivers twice a week to throw routes. Again, they pretty well supervise themselves because they learn so much at camp.
Starting in January, our QB’s start coming to school at 7:00 a.m. They get in all their drills before school Jr. Larry Rogers 6-0, 235 has Squatted 450 and Cleaned 260.
He started at Offensive Tackle, spotters are Darrell Harrell (left) and Matt Newsome. starts at 8:10 a.m. We try to get the receivers in twice a week to start learning their routes. This continues Monday-Thursday until spring practice starts. Many of our skill people are involved in spring sports. By coming in early, they do not have to give that up. Having them together in P.E. would eliminate these early morning sessions.
In 1985, Coach Pittman began the tradition of going to summer football camp. This practice is common in Georgia but no one in Florida was doing it at that time (to my knowledge). A number of teams in North Florida have since followed suit.
Summer football camp involves taking the team out of town for a week of intensive practice. [t is usually some remote, out of the way place. The camp was fairly primitive the first two years. The practice area had been Matt McMillan spotting All-Stater Chad Mobley. cut from a field of dog kennels and sand spurs. The sleeping quarters consisted of one large bunkhouse with a tin roof. There was no air-conditioning, no television, no phone just the team. Last year we took the team to Camp Blanding, which is a National Guard Training Facility. It too was out in the woods.
We slept in Army barracks, on cots, no air-conditioning, no television, no phone and fell asleep every night to the sound of “Taps” being played. Conditions like that will really bring a team together. A typical camp schedule is as follows: Monday-Thursday 05:45a.m. needing extra work run the 1 1/2 miles to the Mess Hall. They do situps, etc. before breakfast. 06:30 a.m.
Mike Dabney 5-8 165 started Defensive End. Only a sophomore, Mike has Benched 325 and Cleaned 220 pounds. Continued on next page 11 SUWANNEE HIGH SCHOOL 08:00 a.m.
Morning Practice — (Full Gear) — Stretch, dropback. We do not option.
Sprints. 11:00 a.m. game consists of trap, quick pitch, belly and counter, Agility Circuit, Groups (35 min.), Offense Even though we like to throw, we have rushed for as much or more yards every year. In 1987, we rushed for 11:30 a.m. nearly 3000 yds., passed for over 1600 yds., and 12:30 p.m.
Siesta. By now it’s 95’ in the barracks. averaged 32.2 points per game. In 1988, we passed for 03:30 p.m.
Afternoon Practice —- (Shorts and Sneakers, over 2600 yds., rushed for over 2000 yds., and averaged No Pads) — Stretch, Specialties/Group work 34.8 points per game. This past season we rushed for (20-25 min), Kicking Game, Cross Country over 2800 yds., passed for over 1600 yds. and averaged Run (2-6 miles).
26.4 points per game.
05:00 p.m.
05:30 p.m.
07:30 p.m.
Evening Practice — (Full Gear) — Stretch, We run a multiple defense based on the 5-1 and 7- Tackling Circuit (20-25 min), Inside Drill (all diamond alignments. Our philosophy is to attack hard plays from tackle to tackle offensively and at the LOS with our front five, trying to get penetration.
We stress pursuit and gang-tackling. We try to get our best eleven on defense. Although our offense has gotten a lot of attention from the public, we as coaches stress Sprints. defense. We feel if we can keep things close, not give up 10:30 p.m.
Showers, Snacks. the big play, our conditioning will win out in the fourth 11:00 p.m. quarter.
Same morning schedule. Clean up and return to Live Oak after lunch.
Offensively, we return seven starters and an eighth player who started most of 89. Key replacements will be Saturday Intrasquad game at the stadium. at QB, FB and TE. Our sophomore QB went the distance in three key games and feel he will be able to handle the job next year. We have several candidates for the TE and Note: Rest assured we give them plenty of water breaks during practice. We also make water available to FB positions. Spring training will tell us a lot about those players. them on the cross country runs. We keep cases of apples, Defensively, we return six starters and two other oranges bananas, grapes and peaches in the barracks so players with significant experience.
We will be they can eat at will. completely rebuilding our LB corps. Two of the three LB’s we had were three and four year starters at their Camp is quite rigorous as you can see. It has become positions. We will be taking a hard look at several a tradition for us, a rite of passage. Until you’ve players to fill those vacancies. The reserves on the survived summer camp, you're not really a part of the defensive line should be able to step forward and program. Attrition was high the first year but now it has contribute next season. become rare for a player to quit during camp. Most Our kicking game should be sound.
Randy Banner players will quit during spring training or before we left returns as our punter and place kicker. The confidence for camp (we had a week of two-a-day practices before he gained by kicking that 56 yarder (State Playoff we left for camp this year). We’ve even had a few who Record) will really benefit him. quit immediately after returning from camp, although | can’t tell you why.
The key in 1990 will be winning our district. Our district has produced the 3A State Champion since 1986.
We do reward our players after camp with T-Shirts.
Madison, Rickards and Wakulla are always tough.
Examples are: “I survived Summer Camp”, “If You Madison returns probably the best running back in the Can’t Run With The Dogs, Then Stay On The Porch”, state. Rickards has always been loaded with talent and and “ The Strength Of The Dogs Is In The Pack”. their defensive line will probably average 260 lbs. next year. Wakulla was runner-up to us in ‘89 finishing 8-2.
They are always one of the strongest teams we play. The We run primarily from the Pro-T and Strong Twins other two teams are always capable of upsets too. We set formations. We keep our running game simple and our goal the same every year — win the district, then believe strongly in throwing the football. Our running think about State.
“Sometimes when you're out here, you wonder why you're doing these things.
“1 know this camp really does help. There’s more to playing football than just athletic ability. This camp sets Everyone thinks about quitting at some point. By the tone for the entire season. During this week we work Wednesday your brain is dead anyway and you walk to as hard as any team in the state. When the kids come out practice knowing what's going to happen. Even my of this camp, after doing all that work, they sure don’t senior year I considered quitting. I cried out here a want to lose. Losing is a lot harder when you've made couple of times. that kind of dedication.”
Jay Jernigan: Survivor of three camps.
“They all have to pull together in this thing. They “People don’t understand the obsession the town of have to live, eat, work and sleep together. It tends to Live Oak has with football. On Friday nights, there is make you a close team. Sometimes all a kid needs is a pat nothing else happening except football. People come out little reassurance. But football isn’t a early to get a good seat and it’s standing room only by sport for everyone. There are some kids who just aren't 7:30 for an 8 o'clock game. Other teams hate to play here cut out for it.” fans—obnoxious. The players love that.” “Live Oak is just one big family on Friday nights.
After we won the state title, I didn’t have to pay for a “There was one game where I had a cut in my head meal in town for a long time. I could walk in any place in and every time I’d hit the guy in front of me, I’d spray town and get a free meal. I’d rather win the state title him with blood. He was getting real concerned about me here than any place in Florida. Where else would you get and told me I should check with the ref or get stitched more than 100 people out to watch you practice?” up. But I’d just wipe the blood out of my face after every Jay Jernigan: Former Player — Assistant Coach | play and line back up.
After going through this camp, | you're not going to worry about being hurt in a game. It’s something you know you can handle.” Gantt Gouch: Now at University of Florida.
“It’s hard to believe that what we are basically doing out here is three-a-days. But it’s really a whole lot more than that. This is something you can use every game during the season. You know that the boy in front of you “People always ask us about camp, but there is no hasn’t gone through what you've gone through, he way to describe it. It would be like someone who went to hasn’t paid the dues you've paid. This camp makes you a Vietnam trying to tell someone who hadn’t been there winner.” what it was like. You have to be there to understand. You have to be there in the middle of the night when someone wakes up screaming with a cramp. That tends to happen a lot.
“But there’s no question that this camp helps. We might have been able to win state last year without the camp, but the first two years of camps built this team. I know that 20 years from now when I talk about camp I will cuss Coach Pittman for what he made us do, but I'll do it with a smile.” | Before one afternoon practice Coach Pittman stopped by the bunk of one of the freshman who was having serious thoughts about going home. The kid had taken plenty of hard licks from much bigger players during practice.
“Coach those boys are possessed,” the youngster told Pittman. “They hit me so hard I hurt in seven different places.” But the kid didn’t go home. After talking with Pittman, he decided to stick it out.
Thanks to Coach Mike Pittman, Coach Paul Landry and the Suwannee Bulldogs from Live Oak, Florida for this article. Can they do it again in 1990 for their fourth State Championship in a row? The odds say no, but I’m not going to bet against them.
Greg Shepard:
From BFS Magazine — Summer 1990. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
