Newest coaches no strangers to Pioneer system
The Pioneer football coaching staff features several new faces this season.
But for the majority of Warren County’s players, those new faces aren’t totally unfamiliar.
When finalizing his staff, first-year head coach Chris Madewell didn’t have to look far to find assistants both he and his players were familiar with.
With John Dryden and Darek Elrod remaining with the team from last year’s staff, Madewell added Jeff Watson as freshman head coach, as well as assistants Jeff Lee, Donnie Harris and Todd Willmore.
The trio of Watson, Lee and Harris all worked with Madewell during his tenure as head coach at Warren County Middle, then stayed together for two seasons when Watson took over as head coach before all making the jump to the high school level.
“It’s great to work with them,” Madewell said of his staff. “We’ve been blessed with the guys we’ve got.
“Being able to work with the freshmen and varsity, that’s given us more stability, and our younger players are already familiar with them, since most of them played at the middle school. That makes things a lot easier.”
Watson, who enjoyed two successful seasons at the helm of the WCMS Pioneers, now gets to work with his last middle school squad as they make the transition to the high school level.
“It’s a perfect fit for him,” Madewell said. “The freshmen team is where you’ve got to really recruit and get kids to come out, and he’s good at that. Those kids will do anything for him, anything he asks, and as a head coach that’s what you’ve got to have.”
Harris and Lee, who began as non-faculty volunteer assistants for Madewell at WCMS, have also moved up with their players, and now take on numerous responsibilities with the varsity. Lee, a former Pioneer and Carson-Newman Eagle, works with the Pioneer offensive and defensive linemen, while Harris, the offensive coordinator at WCMS for the past several seasons, now assumes that role with the high school offense.
“You can’t beat those two guys,” Madewell said. “They work hard, they put in a lot of time and they don’t get a lot out of it — other than just the joy of coaching.
“They’re real good with the players. The kids love them, and they’ve got to know these kids as well as anybody over the years.”
Willmore is the newest member of the coaching ranks, after joining the Pioneer staff in the spring. A former Pioneer quarterback, he played receiver and defensive back at Sewanee and now coaches those positions with the Pioneers.
“I’ve seen 100 percent improvement in our receivers and defensive backs because of him,” Madewell said. “He’s such a good teacher. The kids listen to him, and he’s been a great asset to our staff.”
The Pioneers’ 2004 season begins Friday night, with a road game at Livingston. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.