First-year high school football coaches faced with coronavirus-related challenges

ATLANTA - It's been a week since Steve Gates officially became the head football coach of the Cass Colonels. He was expecting a balancing act as he continues to teach at Kell High School -- where he spent the last four years as the Longhorns' assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and running backs coach -- but the coronavirus pandemic and its affects across the country have changed everything.

The biggest challenge for first-year high school football head coaches like Gates right now is the lack of spring football practices and time with their teams.

But Gates admitted that having to hunker down in his house and only teach classes virtually has actually helped him in this time of change.

"It's kind of a little bit of a blessing in disguise. It would be more busy if we were still in school doing normal things, because I'd be finishing (at Kell) and starting my new football program," Gates told High 5 Sports. "It was going to be a transition, but I definitely have more time to get stuff done now. But then again, we don't really know what to get ready for yet. Even if they allow us to come back May 1 to school -- that's the best case scenario -- even then, we're going to still be on restrictions."

For now, Georgia public schools are closed until April 24, so coaches are crossing their fingers that summer practices can get back on track in June.

"We may have six, seven weeks of summer practice to get ready for a football game. It's going to be baby steps. It's going to be a war, not a battle," Gates said. "This summer is going to be different for a lot of football programs, moreso the ones in my situation where we have a new head coach such as myself, and implementing a new offense or another high school implementing a new defense or vice versa. Those are going to be the ones that struggle.

The ones that are kind of on cruise control, that are getting their quarterbacks back and have the same coaching staff and stuff like that, they can kind of do remote meetings and just fine-tune some things."

Jason Kervin is taking over at Alpharetta after spending 12 years at Alabama powerhouse Hoover High School. He was planning to spend most of the work week in Georgia this spring but is currently locked down in Hoover for now with his wife and four kids.

He said the start to his tenure has been complicated because spring football is typically the time to build trust, relationships and knowledge.

"I think that's the biggest thing: Building relationships with players, being theire every day, having those off-schedule meetings during workouts or during stretching where you get to give words of encouragement or try to promote leadership," Kervin said. "I think those are important, and you don't have those, and I think that takes away a little bit."

Though they can't set the tone of their new programs in person, both coaches have been communicating constantly with their new staff and players in different ways. 

Gates said he's been texting with players, reminding them to stay active rather than play video games indoors all day. He's also meeting with the mostly-retained staff individually, like having lunch at Bojangles while sitting six feet apart with his linebackers coach on Tuesday, or meeting with another coach in a parking lot while sitting in lawn chairs, tailgate-style.

Meanwhile, Kervin said he's been proud of his seniors for holding themselves and teammates accountable and leading by example by participating in virtual team meetings on Zoom.

"I think the biggest challenge we have to overcome is keeping those lines of communication open, with our players, with our coaches, with our administrators," he said. "Just making sure that you're keeping touch and keeping tabs on everybody because I think people are going to start struggling here a little bit."

In addition to the current environment's adversity, the Raiders are moving up to Class AAAAAAA from Class AAAAAA this season and will play in an updated Region 5 full of established programs like Milton, Roswell, Etowah and Woodstock.

"I think it adds to the excitement more than it adds to the challenges. That's part of building the culture, building the excitement: Having a reason to go in there and know that you have to deliver your best effort every day and be on your A game every day," Kervin said. "7A football in Georgia is a high level of football and there's a lot of really good teams out there, so I think it gives a little more sense of urgency and heightened awareness. But I think it's more excitement than challenge."

Both coaches agree that the frustrations for players and coaches alike right now will likely transform into more excitement than normal for the upcoming season, whenever it may begin.

"Once you have something taken away from you and you're away from the people that you love, who you're used to being around every day, I think it gives you an appreciation for all of that," said Kervin. "So I'm hoping that we can turn that into a positive when we get back and we maximize every day."

"I bet you 95 percent of coaches have made this comment out there to senior classes: 'Seniors, you never know when your last play is,' with injuries and stuff like that," Gates said. "Well now, they have to believe us when we say, 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone,' and all these spring sport athletes are living that right now."