One thing that is constant in high school football is change. The Warren County Pioneers’ season ended last week in the first round of the playoffs at Oakland. Head coach Matt Turner has made the change from this season to next season with the first step of changing the locker room to what he calls the room for Squad No. 54. The focus will begin next week on developing leadership within the team and hitting the weight room.
The official record for this season with Squad No. 53 is 1-8. The announcer at Oakland announced the Pioneers as having a 1-9 season record which is factually incorrect. The Pioneers did not play two games (White County and Ridgeway) because of COVID-19 protocols enacted by head coach Matt Turner. Warren County did not play those games, nor did they practice for 10-14 days. White County and Ridgeway can count those games as wins that were used for seeding in the playoffs. It is unfortunate that the record books will not reflect how COVID-19 impacted the Pioneers.
At the end of the season, it is important to refresh everyone’s memory -- it should be noted that the Pioneers did not play their first three games of the season as scheduled. The opening game with DeKalb County was moved to October 15. The Pioneers did not practice as scheduled either, and the lack of practice time not only prevented the Pioneers from practicing physically on the field, the team was disrupted mentally as well.
There were as many as 14 positive COVID-19 cases on the team at one time. Many people ask why COVID-19 hit the team so hard this year. The most plausible explanation is the resistance by the Warren County school system and public to wear masks and implement contact tracing, which were very much practiced in the school system last year during the season. Not every school system in the state abandoned contact tracing.
The discussion on COVID-19 protocols, the vaccine, and masks are divisive issues not only in McMinnville but around America. We are a divided people on how we have approached and dealt with COVID-19 and its variants. Who is right and who is wrong is a debate for other pages in a newspaper.
COVID-19 is not the only reason the Pioneers went 1-8 this season. There were many holes to fill left by the seniors who graduated last year. The Pioneers had to overcome inexperience. Not playing the first three games as scheduled set back the process of developing experience. In reality, Warren County did not play inferior teams. That is not to say that the Pioneers could not have won more games.
Coach Turner consistently said that the Pioneers were their own worst enemy. Mistakes were made on the field, which gave opponents unnecessary advantages. Turnovers. Penalties. Missed assignments at every position on the field. Lack of effort in the weight room and practice field. Inexperience was the main culprit, but another factor was strength. The coaching staff was convinced by what they witnessed this season that the team needs to get stronger. That makes the weight room a number one priority in the offseason.
There was a silver lining to the damage COVID-19 wreaked upon the team. Many young players gained experience this season. A freshman started at center for one game. All the shuffling of players from junior varsity to varsity teams because of players being in COVID-19 isolation gave younger players more time in practice and in games to develop varsity experience. Next year’s team should see a major benefit of the experience young players gained this season.
Some attitudes on the team were challenged with the changes and losing. No matter what anyone says, losing makes practicing and playing harder. The players have to trust the vision of the coaches and offseason conditioning plan. Ironically, losing should have made it self-evident to every player on the Pioneer football team that strength that is gained in the weight room is a fundamental to winning at the 6A level.
Coach Turner has used the phrase “burn the ship” as a metaphor for forgetting the past and putting everything into the team with no turning back…no quitting, forgetting bad plays, etc.. There is an old cliché, “Together Everyone Achieves More” that should have value to Squad No. 54. Warren County can have a great season next year if the team individually and collectively commits to working in the weight room and getting stronger.
One player should not be forgotten. When Dayton Jernigan went down in the Cookeville game with an ACL injury and was lost for the season, winning games became more difficult for the Pioneers. A healthy senior Dayton Jernigan next season will make a big difference for the Pioneers for all the reasons mentioned above…strength, attitude, and experience.
Change will come for the Pioneers. A losing season record may make some Pioneer fans think about the 29-year history of losing will be repeated. Just because it may feel that way does not mean it is that way. What happens next season for the Pioneer football team is up to coach Turner and his staff, and most importantly, the high school students on the team. How things change for Pioneer football is mainly up to the players themselves, and let’s all hope that COVID-19 and its variants do not impact this team severely again.
An in-depth interview with head coach Matt Turner can be seen on Southern Standard on Sports, a video show that is sponsored by Shelter Insurance and can be viewed for free by downloading the Southern Standard app or at www.soutthernstandard.com.
