[Hoot Gibson]

Hoot...4 years can take a team from doormat to state title contender...but at the same time look at programs like Elizabethtown, Mercer County, LCA, Middlesboro, and Allen County-Scottsville.

Each of these programs had a single crop of players who came up from Freshman to Senior that led them from either doormat status or at best mediocre status to a State Final appearance. Where did they go the years immediately following that class that graduated?

A Coach is a massive part of maintaining success... unequivocally I agree...but there is another aspect that is huge in a program turning around or sustaining success...something that Johnson Central has benefited from almost as much as having Matney... and that is the strength of your feeder system. That's why some programs can bounce back quickly, if not instantly, after coaching change (ex: Highlands, Boyle County, LexCath) and why some strong programs have to start from scratch (ex: Breathitt County, Lawrence County).

Who would be better equipped to sustain success the next 3-4 years following an abrupt coaching change immediately?

Belfry with potentially back to back Middle School State Championship teams the past two years

or

Cadlwell County with a very talented crop of Juniors, but a very limited crop of Freshman or Middle Schoolers

Johnson Central's feeder system has been very strong ever since JCMS was built. It was strong before, during, and after the 3-year skid that saw JC win 5 games in between Bill Musick's departure and Matney's arrival. The only difference between JC's teams during that period and the team before and after those years was its head coach.

I witnessed a similar one-year turnaround at Greenwood Community High School in Indiana when they hired one of the top coaches in the state, Rick Wimmer. Coach Wimmer graciously allowed my two sons to work out with the team over the summer following Musick's retirement. Based on the talent that they saw there and what they knew JC was returning, both boys decided that Greenwood would struggle and JC would have another great year. Greenwood went undefeated and made a deep playoff run and JC won 2 games. Wimmer has since won a 5A state title at Fishers, competing in the same class that includes Warren Central, Ben Davis, Penn, Carmel, Center Grove, etc.

I am convinced that there is absolutely nothing that contributes more to the success of a football program than having the right man at the helm. Fans who think that there is something magic about their team's long term success aside from the talent of their head coach are just fooling themselves. The raw talent differential among schools with similar enrollment is not statistically significant. I agree that in the case of small 1A schools, the difference in talent between classes can result in "up" and "down" years, but consistency in results increases in proportion to enrollment and participation.

Matney produced some outstanding teams at Sheldon Clark without the benefit of a very good feeder system, IMO. He overcame that hurdle in part by encouraging heavy participation in the school's wrestling program, a practice that followed him to JC. A strong feeder system is important, but more often than not it is the product of a strong head coach.

Bill Musick was very active in building JC's system at the middle school, along with the fine coaches on the JCMS staff. However, a great coach can turn a program around in a hurry, even with a weak feeder system. Their first few teams may not go deep in the playoffs but they will consistently beat poorly coached teams with much better talent.