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December 2, 2016
Last week’s win over Maryville was, perhaps, one of the most emotional wins for the Oakland High School football team in years. Yes. They’ve won three state titles – 1984 (Class AAA), 1998 (Class 5A) and 2008 (Class 5A) – but a win over Maryville, who ended the Patriots’ seasons the past two years, is a benchmark and a turning point. That said, Saturday night, second-ranked Oakland (14-0) will face third-ranked Whitehaven (14-0) in Cookeville to determine this year’s Class 6A state champion. The annual BlueCross Bowl kicks off at 7 p.m. Oakland is hosting a pep rally for students Friday afternoon in which the administration and coaching staff will share the success the team has acquired over the 2016 season. “We want them to enjoy that,” said Oakland Principal Bill Spurlock, who understands not every student has had an opportunity to attend every home and away game. They plan to play a highlight reel from throughout the entire season. The video will showcase the talent and accomplishments of the hard work that has gone into getting the Patriots to this point. Oakland is also encouraging the common fan of Rutherford County sports to “come up and support the Patriots” at Tucker Stadium on Saturday night. “At the end of the game, hopefully we’ll be saluting them and the band will be playing,” Spurlock said, “and hopefully we’ll come out on the good end of the scoreboard.” Spurlock took part in a wide-ranging Q&A in which the longtime administrator talked about football, last week’s emotional win, school pride, the impact athletics has on school culture and, of course, Saturday’s state title game. The team has waited for an entire year to have a chance to play Maryville again, how emotional was last weekend’s game for everyone involved? I think for all of us – we took our cue from our kids – everything was business-like. The mission was not complete, but it was one of those things we were looking forward to having a chance to compete against and with them again. Last year was the first time we had traveled to Maryville and I think we were a little bit starry-eyed and there are some things that we did that prevented us from having an opportunity to be successful. So it was just part of this year for them. It was part of another step in what they want to accomplish, but they were motivated. Maryville is a great program, well-coached. We played them twice. In 2014, we played them here and we got beat here and we got beat up there, so I think it was just something they had a good resolve to do better than what they’ve done previously. How much more special was it to have played a game like that against a program like Maryville at home on your field? It’s special. I was looking back and we’ve had some success here over the last eight or nine years. The last two years we’ve been pretty consistent. We won the region that last two years and that’s what gives you those types of opportunities to host a big game like that. One of the things we were very excited about – more so than anything – is that prior to kickoff, when the kids looked up in the stands they saw a lot of people. To be perfectly honest with you, in our three games prior to that here in the playoffs was very thin as far as the crowd is concerned. We didn’t know what to expect. We knew that Maryville travels well, but we didn’t know how well we would show up. I think our fans showed us that when it gets down to it they’re going to come out and support them when the big game comes up. This season, you’ve Tweeted about “believe in the process.” Last weekend, the team and the school and the community seemed to have believed in the process long before kickoff, much less after taking control in the second half. The reason why is because we’ve seen it each game this year. There is one hiccup, at Riverdale, that we would refer to as stupid penalties, but what we’ve seen all year long is our kids have improved in terms of making mistakes that create problems for yourself. Each phase of our game, especially defense, we have seen improvement—kicking, offense and defense. I think it was a buildup. Last year and previous years we would be up and down. We’d play up, but then we’d play down. We’ve seen consistency throughout the year. That’s (why) we’re saying, ‘Believe in the process.’ Coach is going to put you in a position and give you an opportunity to be successful, but you have to believe in what you’re doing. Speaking of the process, how does the team and the school go about compartmentalizing the emotions of the Maryville game and focus on the real goal: winning a state title? I think the coaches and the players both have had that under control all year. Once they enjoyed it on Friday night after the game, well, the student body had been talking, but the players have been focused and they understand they’re playing a very talented, undefeated Whitehaven team. They understand this is not over. The coaches have done a great job with that. They reminded them in the very beginning they don’t crown champions in the semi-finals. At a time of the year when people get stressed over the holidays or students get stressed about the end of a semester, the excitement of a game like this can really be something that motivates everyone involved in several aspects of their life. No doubt. We believe that. You and I have talked about this before, athletics is part of the school culture. There are things that we see that are accomplished on any type of field, any type of court or anything of that nature that will bleed over into the classroom. By that I mean, there are strategies that coaches use – some things that players do – that are strong in terms of providing the same type of strategy you use in a classroom. And the pride. Quite frankly, the pride spills over. I feel good about the place that I’m going to school. You can’t measure that. Young people want their school to do well in multiple things. We’ve been very fortunate. A few years back the girls played Blackman for the state title. The ball rimmed out at the last moment in overtime or we would have had a state championship then. Our baseball teams in the past have competed. Of course, in football, they won the state in ’84 and they won the state in ’98 and 2008. And swimming and things of that nature have always been very competitive. Those are some things that you really cannot measure how important it is to a school. Facebook isn’t always the best place to spend time— (Laughing) That’s right. But one thing it has allowed myself and others to see, to see your players off the field and win or lose, your team already won. That’s right. I agree with you. We’ve really seen a maturation process take place with this team that I totally attribute to the coaches starting with Coach (Kevin) Creasy. He’s made sure they understand there are things that are more important than just football, and he’s also made them understand that you’ve been provided some type of a talent and that you need to take advantage of that. I think what we’ve done is we’ve stayed focused and we understand that this thing is bigger than we are and the coaches have kept them on an even keel and, like I said, trusting the process, trusting what they’re doing. These coaches, I’ll be honest with you, they are seven days a week. I come up here on Saturdays sometimes and I leave when I think is late and they’re still over there working. They’re breaking down film. They’re putting together a game plan and that’s where the trust comes in. they’re going to get you in a position to be successful. It’s no different than in a classroom. What you have to do is believe – trust them – and I think that’s what you’ve seen this year. When the school has a player like JaCoby Stevens, who rightfully was named Mr. Football, his impact goes beyond the football field. I’ve never met his parents, but he cannot be the person he is without having great parents. That’s one of the things I’ve said numerous times. As good as he is as a football player, he’s a better human being and that is directly correlated to the way he was raised. I’ve met his mom and dad. Great people. He’s a humble kid. He has multiple reasons for a young 17-, 18-year-old to be arrogant, if you will, but this kid is humble. He engages people. He engages adults. And he engages young kids. He’ll stop and talk to them and things of that nature. That’s a characteristic that comes deep within. We’re very blessed that he’s been with us. He’s been good for Oakland High School. Games and seasons like this, a lifelong-memories for the boys on the team, but talk about being equally memorable for the entire student body. You will always remember these young people. You come out and you watch them and you see the amount of effort they put in and everyone does it, but they start with the strength and conditioning program just a few weeks after you’re finished. They go through the spring. They go through the summer, where they’re coming in here at six o’clock in the morning working out, running when other young people haven’t even rolled over in bed. They attend these passing camps and a variety of different things like that. To see it come all the way to the point where they’re having an opportunity to compete for a state championship, it makes it worthwhile for them and you also – as an adult and specifically as a principal – you appreciate that dedication that they have put forward. |