Robservations: Seniors have had a wild ride
|
If you’re like most people, you have an immediate supervisor, or perhaps several of them. And, again if you’re like most people, you’ve worked under these people for a fairly large amount of time.
Now imagine that in a span of a mere four years, you’ve had five different bosses.
That’s the situation for the senior members of the Pioneer football program, who will be honored at their final home game tonight at Nunley Stadium.
The veteran members of the Pioneer squad have hit the field on 38 Friday nights, and have had five different head coaches calling the shots. Their freshman year, it was Jeff Cupples. During their sophomore and junior seasons, Heath Woods was calling the shots on the varsity level.
And during the first eight games of their senior year, the Pioneers have received instructions from Gerald Tidwell, John Dryden (who served as acting head coach for Tidwell’s original one-game suspension) and Chris Madewell.
At any job, you’ve got to admit, five bosses in four years is all but unheard of.
And now, as they prepare for their Nunley Stadium swan song, the seniors have had one last shake-up to add to their long list, as coach Tidwell returns from a five-week suspension.
Fortunately, this latest bump in the road has turned out to be a relatively minor one, as Tidwell wisely made the decision to phase himself back into the Pioneer system gradually.
But after all the controversies, coaching changes and other stumbling blocks — not to mention the week after week of fighting the uphill battle to making a successful program — the Pioneer veterans have developed a rather tough skin that keeps them from throwing in the towel when things get difficult.
“You just take it, like all the other ones we’ve taken, and bounce back,” said team co-captain Greg Cotten, one of the 14 senior players who will be recognized tonight. “We’ve dealt with a lot, and we’ll deal with this and keep moving on.”
Win or lose tonight, or next week at Coffee County, you’ve got to admire the attitude that permeates the veteran members of the Pioneers. It’s an attitude of always trying your best, no matter what your facing, and never letting anything have the satisfaction of getting you down.
With all that said, I think it only fitting to recognize all the senior members of the Pioneer squad right here.
So, to David Bradshaw, Coty Miller, Justin Grissom, Rob Williams, Cody Mitchell, Greg Cotten, T.J. Jarvis, Matt Panter, Brad Stewart, John Morrison, Matt Broadrick, Brandon Sharpe and Daniel Wilson: Well done, guys.
You may not have gotten the wins you wanted, but you’ve done your job, and led your squad through thick and thin. Your successors in the junior and sophomore classes would do well to follow your examples.
I know one win, or even two, is far short of the team’s goals, but going out with a bang would provide a nice way to remember a career that’s been filled with ups and downs. So here’s hoping the seniors, and all the rest of the Pioneers, can put a cap on their season with a big victory tonight, and another next week at Manchester.