Clay-Chalkville Coach's Corner

STATE PLAYOFFS

cchsfootball — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:54:12 +0000

What a great year it as been at CCHS. All of the community will turn out tonight for a community pep rally for the boys. What a special time! The team seems to be focused and ready for play. This is the fun time of year. Practice is crisp and the feel of cool air refreshes us all.

Friday night will not be the first time that Clay Chalkville participates in the State Playoffs. However, it sure seems that everyone is more proud of the way that we have arrived. Character, perseverance, and hard work has made this possible. I hope you all will come to Florence to support this fine group.

We talk about this being the new season. Everyone is 0-0 and we will need to play our best each week to continue on the journey. So wish us luck and get the NATION behind the boys. CLAY CHALKVILLE VS FLORENCE – Round 1 of 5

Jerry

REGION CHAMPIONSHIP

cchsfootball — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:08:51 +0000

I remember in late March telling the folks that came to greet us when I took this job the following quote by George Washington. When asked by the government leadership if he could win the war he stated, “I don’t know if we will win the war, but I know we will deserve to win the war.” That is true of this season and this game.

What a great test for these young men. They have been incredible to work with. They are so thankful for the opportunity to be competitive and to win. The assistant coaches have been outstanding in their leadership and coaching ability for the boys. The community and parents are supportive of my plans and have given me the trust needed to coach their sons.

Gadsden is a great football team. They are truly deserving of this chance to play in an important game. They are a power football team with a great defense and play very physical. They will have the comforts of home. It is big time in Gadsden. That makes it perfect for the COUGARS!

We have faced a lot of the top region teams on the road this year. The players have handled this well and performed great. They are extremely excited. I look for a great crowd and an exciting game.

Everyone wants to be a winner but few truly pay the price. Let me share a story with you.

I have a player that may not get to play for the remainder of the season. We have spent some time talking about the choices, hurt, and the possibility of surgery. To say he is disappointed is an understatement. Today he brings me a letter he wrote to his teammates. In the letter, there is a reference to the workouts in the summer, passing camp all day long, and the general sacrifice that our kids make to be winners. He mentions the tough seasons and the many years of giving up the summer for practice, all for this chance to play for a Championship.

“…I think of how RELENTLESS we have been; like when the odds were stacked against us at Hewitt and we just kept fighting..”

Relentless. That is exactly what I expect on Friday. Will the COUGAR NATION be relentless in the stands? The players deserve it. They are incredible kids and here is the best part——

These Cougars have restored the tradition and pride that is Clay- Chalkville Football. In addition, they have done more for our coaches lives than we could ever do for them. You have the best kids in the world.

As I tell the boys: Stop, look, and take it in. This is living!

God Bless,

Jerry

Amazing Kids

cchsfootball — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:31:03 +0000

When I reflect on our season, thus far, and what the possibilities are for the remainder of the year, I am blown away. However, it is probably not what you are thinking. 6-0, undefeated in the region, and playing a huge game against a great Oxford team. Not to mention being ranked in the State 6A polls. These things are indeed fun.

We talk a lot on our team about perspective. We know that if we do the work good things can happen. This team has kept that mantra this season. I am concerned that we now must learn how to handle press clippings and losing the edge that got us to this point. Tonight against Oxford will be a telling sign. I believe our kids will respond.

All of that is the fun part of being on a team and learning how to handle success. Our kids have already won the real game. Let me share a story with the Cougar Nation. After practice on Tuesday the players came to me and told me of their plan to collect money during the Huffman game for Breast Cancer research. Then they asked could they spat in pink. For the new readers, spatting is taping the outside of your shoe for a game. They think it looks good but has no real value for most. They asked if I would let them do that. I said, “of course”.

This verifies the very thing that led to success this year. When you have a group of young men that think outside the box, you can accomplish miracles. The boys came up with the idea! This tells me that they want to be remembered for more than wins and losses. They want to make a difference in a person’s life.

We have already won even if we lose a game. Be Proud Cougar Fans! We really do have something to celebrate.

Jerry

Wow! Time Flies

cchsfootball — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:48:44 +0000

You never know what a day may bring. Just a few short weeks ago, we were scrambling to get ready for the season. Now we prepare for game four. We have had a great start to our season. Many may think that it is because we are 3-0 overall, and 2-0 in the region. That is true to some extent.

I have seen boys become men over these few weeks. First, we had to deal with the tragedy of one of our alumni football player’s death. God bless the Felder family. He will see you through. Then we had a young man lose his father a couple of weeks ago. To see our players and parents rally around this young man was amazing. We truly have great kids on this team. We love you Taylor and we are all proud of your courage through adversity.

Last Friday night we really fought against a tough Shades Valley team to win a key region game. This game was very scary to me because we had just come off of a big rival game victory versus Hewitt. The guys were awesome and showed real toughness in carrying us to a win. I am proud of the TEAM.

That is exactly what they have come to believe in… TEAM. Stay together Cougars. See all of you in Pell City Friday.

Jerry

Here we GO!

cchsfootball — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:34:14 +0000

What an awesome start to our year at Clay Chalkville. We had a great Cougar Kickoff Classic. Thank you to all of those that volunteered and made the event special. I had a great time meeting people and watching our athletes, from youth thru high school, compete at Cougar Stadium.

The varisty boys have been working hard in preparation for the opening of the season. The 85 that we will put on the field will make our community proud. They are fine young men and have become great examples to our younger teams and to the school.

We will play Chelsea on Friday night in a complete game at Chelsea. Game time is 7 p.m. Please come and support. Thank you again for the encouragement and support that we have felt from the Cougar Nation.

If you have any pictures from Sat. please forward to me.

Jerry

Welcome to the 2009-10 CCHS Cougar Football Season!!

cchsfootball — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:14:40 +0000

This is the ccathletics.com webmaster welcoming everyone to our new Head Coach Jerry Hood’s football blog. Check back often to see what he has to say about how the season is going. GOOOOOOO COUGARS!!!!!!