After spending the last two seasons as defensive coordinator, Corey Jarvis is now the head man at Dooly County (1-1), No. 6 in the public rankings.
Last week, Jarvis nearly led the Bobcats to their first win in three tries against Class AA Fitzgerald. The new, multiple-look, four-man front defensive scheme is has installed in Vienna shut out the Purple Hurricanes in the second half. But two missed point-after attempts doomed Dooly in the 27-26 loss in the Bobcats’ home opener. Things don’t get any easier for Jarvis’ squad, as Friday they travel to defending public champion Clinch County (2-0), currently ranked No. 1.
If past history repeats itself, look for Jarvis to make Dooly a title contender soon. He is 92-39 entering his 12th season as a head coach, including a trip to the Class AAAAA final as the head coach at Mays. But while Jarvis has spent his time as a head coach in the big city – MLK (2005-09), Duluth (2010-12) and Mays (2013-15) – he is comfortable in small towns as well, having spent time as an assistant at Crisp County (Cordele) and Mary Persons (Forsyth).
Recently, he talked about the small town vs. big city dynamic, and his team’s prospects for this season.
STC: What are some of the differences between coaching in a small town and the city?
Jarvis: "It's actually more similar than you might think, but one difference that stands out to me is how in a small town you end up coaching different family members because of the way they kind of recycle through the school. You end up coaching sons and nephews of fathers and uncles you coached before. I'm coaching a kid right now whose father played for me at Crisp County. In the small towns, you find that people don't leave, or they may leave but then come back home. The talent just recycles."
STC: One thing that appears to be an advantage of coaching in a rural area is that you don't have to worry a lot about players transferring.
Jarvis: "Yeah, it's hard to transfer to Vienna, Georgia! Actually, this year we have two players who transferred in from Northside-Warner Robins, but that's because their family is from here and moved back."
STC: But on the other hand, you don't often get the benefit of having a player transfer to your program.
Jarvis: "That's true. When I was at MLK, one year my starting safety, who was a very good player, tore his knee up before the first game. I was wondering what we were going to do. A couple of days later, a kid transferred in who played safety. [At a program in a small town] it makes you build and develop a program. When I was at Mary Persons, even our middle school ran the same defensive scheme as Coach [Dan] Pitts had the varsity running. We're trying to move in that direction here now. In fact, our game [Friday] against Clinch County for our senior class will be a rematch of the fourth-grade and eighth-grade championship." (Note: Pitts coached Mary Persons from 1959 to 1997, winning 15 region championships, a state title in 1980, and 346 games, good for fourth all time in Georgia.)
STC: Is there any more pressure coaching in a small town, because of how closely tied the high school football team is to the community? Jarvis: "I think the pressure is the same. Everybody wants to win. I think in small town people can get to you and find you easier. They can be at the school in five minutes! And you do have your small town politics. But it's great because people are so passionate about the team. When Irwin County beat Fitzgerald in Week 1, I read where somebody on line said: 'There's nothing like begin in a one-traffic light town when you beat your rival!' "
STC: How does your team look this season?
Jarvis: "We've got a good group of kids, and a deep senior group. They've been together for a lot of years. Of course, everyone talks about [QB] Bo Lawson. He's definitely one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the state. He could also play safety, receiver or running back. But we have a lot of other good players. [LB/RB] Malik Burns had 140 tackles last year and 19 in our first game. He's as good as they come. [DB/WR/RB] Reggie Smith is small, but he can fly. We've got really good juniors, too, like [OL/DL] Jeff Felton and [LB/TE] Zepha Hill. This team has a really great bond. It's a special group of kids. They fell like it's their turn, their year."
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