By Rex Kirts
Last summer a new neighbor registered his kids at South and told me he saw some of the football players. I asked what he thought of them, and he replied, "fluffy."
Fluffy.
That's the worst thing I ever heard say about a football team.
When Kirk Kennedy arrives and starts to build his program at South, maybe he should put the word fluffy above the entrance to the weight room. The players should have to read it every day as a reminder of what can happen on the field, such as go 3-7 like the Panthers did last year.
The neighbor's comment was the second in two years that indicated South needed a change. Two
Last summer a new neighbor registered his kids at South and told me he saw some of the football players. I asked what he thought of them, and he replied, "fluffy."
Fluffy.
That's the worst thing I ever heard say about a football team.
When Kirk Kennedy arrives and starts to build his program at South, maybe he should put the word fluffy above the entrance to the weight room. The players should have to read it every day as a reminder of what can happen on the field, such as go 3-7 like the Panthers did last year.
The neighbor's comment was the second in two years that indicated South needed a change. Two
Kirk Kennedy
years ago former Martinsville coach Bill Siderewicz said the Panthers were "soft" after the pre-season scrimmage against Center Grove.
Kennedy is not a man who will tolerate fluffy and soft. That's not how he lifted Lowell from a downtrodden franchise to one of the best in the state.
Consider his background: he's the son of a coach and played for Howard Schellenberger at Louisville. That's an excellent football pedigree.
HE TELLS AN enlightening story about playing for Schellenberger, one that illustrates how his football persona was shaped. When Schellenberger took over at Louisville there were 120 players, but after the pre-season practice there were 48. Kennedy was one of the 48 survivors.
The man who coached Lowell for 19 years seems to be a perfect fit for what South needs. The Panthers need to get tougher and to be more disciplined in their total approach to the game and to their academics.
This winter there were about 40 players not in a winter sport, yet only about 15 showed up for workouts at Teamwork, the indoor facility on the west side of town. And too many of them were in academic trouble. Both situations are intolerable.
Kennedy, a personable man, is no stranger to hard work. All phases of running a football program will be attacked, just like his defense and run-dominated offense.
"I believe you have to be honest with the kids, work hard and do things right," he said.
With these things as a base, Kennedy has won seven straight sectionals at Lowell and a class 4A state championship in 2005. He produced some outstanding results at Lowell, but the one I like best, in addition to seven straight sectionals, is that his 2005 team won the state despite starting the season with a 1-4 record. That is pretty amazing. That was a brilliant piece of coaching.
KENNEDY GOES ABOUT COACHING in a fearless way. For instance, he took the South job even after watching the Panthers' game at Columbus North this season. If that didn't scare him away nothing will.
"They seemed to get pushed around a little bit," Kennedy said of the Columbus game. "Defensively they played a little high."
And his solution to the problem?
"We've got to get stronger in the trenches. Overall we've got to get stronger but especially in the trenches."
Players get stronger in the off-season. Kennedy's motto for the off-season program is, "Those who sweat in peace-time bleed less in war."
He believes that persistence is "the most important quality of the consistent winner." And people must "get in the habit of success."
Kennedy also believes in personal conduct rules and a disciplined approach to behavior. Common sense stuff, all directed toward discipline.
"You want to be a champion? Act like one!" he writes in his booklet.
Up-tempo practices will be the norm. "They will be fast-paced, competitive, physical," Kennedy said. "We'll get them ready for Friday night."
ASKED WHAT HE BRINGS to the program, he said his leadership ability. "I try to get everyone on board. I want everyone to take pride in it."
He will also bring a South-first attitude, meaning he believes teams create their own destiny by executing. "We don't worry about playing teams who are bigger, faster, stronger. We can't control that. It's about what we do and what we can control."
It's a fair statement to say the real football players at South will welcome this attitude.
One of the first things Kennedy needs to do is get his staff. He regards himself as a staff-friendly guy. He had the same offensive and defensive coordinators all 19 years at Lowell.
"I'm excited to get there and go to work," Kennedy said. "It's not magic. We won't reinvent the wheel."
He is, naturally, aware of the Panthers' history of success.
"The pieces are here, We've just got to light the fire again," he said.
Kennedy is not a man who will tolerate fluffy and soft. That's not how he lifted Lowell from a downtrodden franchise to one of the best in the state.
Consider his background: he's the son of a coach and played for Howard Schellenberger at Louisville. That's an excellent football pedigree.
HE TELLS AN enlightening story about playing for Schellenberger, one that illustrates how his football persona was shaped. When Schellenberger took over at Louisville there were 120 players, but after the pre-season practice there were 48. Kennedy was one of the 48 survivors.
The man who coached Lowell for 19 years seems to be a perfect fit for what South needs. The Panthers need to get tougher and to be more disciplined in their total approach to the game and to their academics.
This winter there were about 40 players not in a winter sport, yet only about 15 showed up for workouts at Teamwork, the indoor facility on the west side of town. And too many of them were in academic trouble. Both situations are intolerable.
Kennedy, a personable man, is no stranger to hard work. All phases of running a football program will be attacked, just like his defense and run-dominated offense.
"I believe you have to be honest with the kids, work hard and do things right," he said.
With these things as a base, Kennedy has won seven straight sectionals at Lowell and a class 4A state championship in 2005. He produced some outstanding results at Lowell, but the one I like best, in addition to seven straight sectionals, is that his 2005 team won the state despite starting the season with a 1-4 record. That is pretty amazing. That was a brilliant piece of coaching.
KENNEDY GOES ABOUT COACHING in a fearless way. For instance, he took the South job even after watching the Panthers' game at Columbus North this season. If that didn't scare him away nothing will.
"They seemed to get pushed around a little bit," Kennedy said of the Columbus game. "Defensively they played a little high."
And his solution to the problem?
"We've got to get stronger in the trenches. Overall we've got to get stronger but especially in the trenches."
Players get stronger in the off-season. Kennedy's motto for the off-season program is, "Those who sweat in peace-time bleed less in war."
He believes that persistence is "the most important quality of the consistent winner." And people must "get in the habit of success."
Kennedy also believes in personal conduct rules and a disciplined approach to behavior. Common sense stuff, all directed toward discipline.
"You want to be a champion? Act like one!" he writes in his booklet.
Up-tempo practices will be the norm. "They will be fast-paced, competitive, physical," Kennedy said. "We'll get them ready for Friday night."
ASKED WHAT HE BRINGS to the program, he said his leadership ability. "I try to get everyone on board. I want everyone to take pride in it."
He will also bring a South-first attitude, meaning he believes teams create their own destiny by executing. "We don't worry about playing teams who are bigger, faster, stronger. We can't control that. It's about what we do and what we can control."
It's a fair statement to say the real football players at South will welcome this attitude.
One of the first things Kennedy needs to do is get his staff. He regards himself as a staff-friendly guy. He had the same offensive and defensive coordinators all 19 years at Lowell.
"I'm excited to get there and go to work," Kennedy said. "It's not magic. We won't reinvent the wheel."
He is, naturally, aware of the Panthers' history of success.
"The pieces are here, We've just got to light the fire again," he said.
