Kennedy getting an early start

By Rex Kirts

Kirk Kennedy will get the school board's OK Wednesday night as South's new football coach, but he's already been on the job doing preliminary work.
"It's transition time," Kennedy said Tuesday from his office in the school.
That means, in addition to straightening up the office and getting started with football, selling a house and buying a house and all those things necessary to move from Lowell to Bloomington.
"I've said my goodbyes at Lowell," he said. "It was tough, emotional last Friday. A 21-year career flashes by before you. I'm very proud of what we accomplished there."
In taking over for Drew Wood, Kennedy has already been meeting with the assistant coaches and will meet with players and parents Thursday night at 7 at a community welcoming at the school. All Panthers fans are welcome to attend.
"I'M JUST TRYING to get stuff together here," Kennedy said. "I've been answering a lot of questions. We're looking forward to getting started."
He will start to learn more on Thursday when he takes over the weight classes and sees what kind of strength condition the football players are in. Kennedy has already seen tapes, on You Tube, of the Panthers in action this past season.
"We've got work to do," he smiled. The Panthers finished 3-7 for their first losing season in over two decades. "It's good we've got the time." He meant the extra time he is gaining by starting in April, after Lowell let him out of his contract early.
A positive for Kennedy is the welcome reception he has received by the school and the community. Principal Mark Fletcher and athletic director J.R. Holmes started quickly to find a new coach after Wood's resignation during the winter. Wood is now in charge of energy conservation for the MCCSC.
"I definitely feel a strong commitment from the community to win," Kennedy said. "There's a sense of urgency to get things done.
"YOU HEAR COACHES say they have a two-year plan or a four-year plan. But what does that say to the players you have now?
"We're going to do everything we can now to get better for the upcoming season. We want the players to have ownership in their program and get it back up to where it needs to be. The cupboard is not bare.
"We'll be working on attitude, motivation, discipline. We want to create a sense of obligation to the program."
Kennedy is still in the process of putting a staff together. "I still need to find some experienced guys, to select offensive and defensive coordinators and build a staff off of those two cornerstones," he said.