SORSN: Regular Season – 9 wins with only 1 loss. A 9 game winning streak. Region Championship. Knowing your intense drive, you probably haven’t given much thought to these accomplishments yet. When will you be able to sit back and reflect on the success of the 2004 squad? In your eyes, what do you define a successful season as?
Craig: Reflect: you can’t reflect on something that is still going on
Successful season: We do not rate success on wins and losses. If a team plays as hard as it can, every play, every game, then the season is successful. An example of this is 2 years ago. We were coming off an excellent season but we lost 18 seniors. We played a ton of sophomores and had lots of injuries and still won 6 and made the playoffs because of tremendous effort.
SORSN: Your team is playing really good ball. Pinpoint a specific area that needs improvement for the playoffs.
Craig: Improve special teams play, minimize penalties, win turnover battle, block until the whistle, get off the ball mad, hit and wrap up, hit the hole hard, communication on D, win the 4th quarter – I’ll stop
SORSN: Do you have anyone on your current team that reminds you of some of the guys that you played with back in the late ’80s? If so, who?
Craig: There are some things that go on that remind me of the yester year, but I guess I look at our players with different eyes than I did when I was a player.
SORSN: During a recent pep rally, you got to make a presentation to a fine young man. You got to present Josh Baurum with his Letterman Jacket. For those of us who were not there to see Josh receive his Letterman, please describe that moment.
Craig: We asked the captains to come out and present it to him. His Mom and Dad came to see him. He was surprised and grateful thanks to all the people who donated and to sorsn.com for helping. This was a feel good situation.
SORSN: Archie Edgemon wrote another fine Legends article for SORSN.com on Ed Rose. In the interview, Ed named many of his inspirations. Where does your inspiration to become a coach come from?
Craig: Coach Branson and Coach Wheaton. I owe my livelihood to them. Coach Wheaton called me one day and said they wanted to start a Middle School Football team and would I be interested in coaching it. Well, I said OK. I loved it! With their encouragement and guidance I returned to school and got my teaching license Although our schemes and terminology have changed, a lot of the ways we handle kids and situations come from Coach Branson’s and Coach Wheaton’s experience.
SORSN: The Halloween Holiday just past and I awoke Monday morning disappointed to see that neither Coach Shillings’ nor Coach Hayes’ yards had been rolled (especially since Coach Hayes loves for his yard to be rolled – .it’s not too late students!). Did your yard get rolled?
Craig: Mean dog, shotgun, rifle, 9 mm – The real reason is Jill (she’ll whoop ’em)
SORSN: Can you tell us about a “yard rolling” experience that you may have been involved in?
Craig: Ask Coach Hayes