HighSchool Fan
12-08-2005, 11:16 AM
By DAVE LANCE / The Dallas Morning News
GAINESVILLE – The first thing Gainesville football coach Jeff Cordell heard about the team he inherited in 2003 was that many of its players lacked class.
"I wanted to change that perception," said Cordell, 36. "So we're not going to jibber-jabber with people during games. We're going to make sure you're not hurt, and we're going to help you up after the play."
Then, they're going to knock you down again.
They'll stop you from scoring with an aggressive, fast defense, run the ball consistently and expertly, win convincingly and do it again the next week.
Under Cordell, Gainesville has a 36-4 record, with a 3A state championship in 2003. It's 13-0 this season as it enters Saturday's 3A Division I final against Wimberley at Waco ISD Stadium.
Gainesville has outscored four playoff opponents, 133-36. It beat Texarkana Liberty-Eylau, 21-7, last week in a semifinal.
"I think he's brought discipline to this team," defensive coordinator Patrick Harvell said. "He's brought a certain amount of confidence, he's brought a family atmosphere and he'll do anything he can for them."
Cordell played football at Austin College, where he was a NAIA All-America defensive back. He had never been a head coach before going to Gainesville, but he had been an assistant at the high school and collegiate levels, including a stop at West Texas A&M as assistant linebackers coach.
Through the years, he developed his philosophy: win through defense and ball control.
Gainesville is allowing only 161 total yards and 6.8 points per game.
Cordell accepts the new, running a spread offense. But he relies on the old. At least 80 percent of the plays he calls are runs.
Running back Michael Miller has rushed for 1,426 yards and 23 touchdowns on 160 carries. Miller didn't become the starter until the fourth game, after Da'ron Calhoun tore his MCL.
"He gets to the hole; he doesn't dance around," said senior guard Clint Stoffel, who played for the '03 champs. "He just goes."
But will Cordell? With such a fast start to his career, some are wondering if he'll move on to a more prestigious coaching gig.
"If his plan is to stay, so be it," Harvell said. "If a better opportunity comes around, he should take it. A lot of people are going to knock on his door, and they should. I support him either way."
E-mail dlance@dallasnews.com
Class 3A Division I championship: Gainesville (13-0) vs. Wimberley (14-0), 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Waco ISD Stadium (KPFC-FM 91.9/89.1)
GAINESVILLE – The first thing Gainesville football coach Jeff Cordell heard about the team he inherited in 2003 was that many of its players lacked class.
"I wanted to change that perception," said Cordell, 36. "So we're not going to jibber-jabber with people during games. We're going to make sure you're not hurt, and we're going to help you up after the play."
Then, they're going to knock you down again.
They'll stop you from scoring with an aggressive, fast defense, run the ball consistently and expertly, win convincingly and do it again the next week.
Under Cordell, Gainesville has a 36-4 record, with a 3A state championship in 2003. It's 13-0 this season as it enters Saturday's 3A Division I final against Wimberley at Waco ISD Stadium.
Gainesville has outscored four playoff opponents, 133-36. It beat Texarkana Liberty-Eylau, 21-7, last week in a semifinal.
"I think he's brought discipline to this team," defensive coordinator Patrick Harvell said. "He's brought a certain amount of confidence, he's brought a family atmosphere and he'll do anything he can for them."
Cordell played football at Austin College, where he was a NAIA All-America defensive back. He had never been a head coach before going to Gainesville, but he had been an assistant at the high school and collegiate levels, including a stop at West Texas A&M as assistant linebackers coach.
Through the years, he developed his philosophy: win through defense and ball control.
Gainesville is allowing only 161 total yards and 6.8 points per game.
Cordell accepts the new, running a spread offense. But he relies on the old. At least 80 percent of the plays he calls are runs.
Running back Michael Miller has rushed for 1,426 yards and 23 touchdowns on 160 carries. Miller didn't become the starter until the fourth game, after Da'ron Calhoun tore his MCL.
"He gets to the hole; he doesn't dance around," said senior guard Clint Stoffel, who played for the '03 champs. "He just goes."
But will Cordell? With such a fast start to his career, some are wondering if he'll move on to a more prestigious coaching gig.
"If his plan is to stay, so be it," Harvell said. "If a better opportunity comes around, he should take it. A lot of people are going to knock on his door, and they should. I support him either way."
E-mail dlance@dallasnews.com
Class 3A Division I championship: Gainesville (13-0) vs. Wimberley (14-0), 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Waco ISD Stadium (KPFC-FM 91.9/89.1)