Tharptown’s new coach teaching mental toughness as key to game
Tharptown’s Timothy Bryant (18) hands the ball to William Washington (24) during the first quarter of the spring game against Phil Campbell. | Scot Beard/FCT
THARPTOWN — Despite a seven-point loss to Phil Campbell, new Tharptown coach Bill Smith liked what he saw from his team during its spring game.
He said his biggest concern is his players dwelling on the loss instead of focusing on what they did right.
“I hope they realize what they have done,” Smith said.
Smith, who coached at Vina since 2000, is familiar with the Wildcats because they were in the same region with Vina. He said the biggest thing he noticed about Tharptown was the way they would hang their heads if something went wrong.
When he took over the Wildcats, he made it a priority to coach the players to remain confident even if the opposing team did make a big play.
“You cannot drop you head. If you get down, keep you head up and fight,” Smith said. “They’ve got the talent to play if they can keep their heads up.”
The Wildcats showed they were getting the new coaches message during the Phil Campbell game.
After teams swapped early possessions without scoring, Timothy Bryant hit Nathan Gray for a 55-yard touchdown pass with 5:44 remaining in the first quarter to give Tharptown a 7-0 lead.
The Wildcat defense bent but kept the Bobcats from earning a first down until there was 1:29 remaining in the second quarter. Phil Campbell scored and added a 2-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead into halftime.
Phil Cambpell added another touchdown less than six minutes into third quarter. The Bobcats extended the lead to 22-7 with a touchdown pass late in the third.
Many of the Tharptown fans expected the Wildcats to fold, but Smith’s philosophy prevailed.
The defense stiffened and quarterback Brandon Cothrum hit Bryant for several big gains to get the offense rolling.
“That was a good combination,” Smith said. “Kelby (Hallmark) has the best hands, but he was sidelined by a concussion in the first quarter. We have good receivers, but we lack the one guy that can burn it up the field.”
Gray capped off the drive with a 1-yard run with four minutes remaining and scored a 2-point conversion to cut the deficit to seven.
The Wildcat defense held Phil Campbell and got the offense one more shot at the end zone, but Tharptown could not score to tie the game.
After the game the players left the field in high spirits, a sight rarely seen after a loss in previous seasons.
Smith said part of reason the players do not have much confidence is because there has not been much consistency in the program. The school began competing in football at the start of the 2006 season, but has had a handful of head coaches.
Dale Overton began the program before taking another job. Barry Laster coached the team in 2009, but left when he took the job as principal at Tharptown Elementary School. Clint Nunley coached the team last year.
“Overall, they haven’t had anybody stick with them,” Smith said. “We did more mental work than physical work during spring practice. Now we have to get them in the weight room.”
