GHSF Daily asked each of Georgia's eight 2017 state-winning head coaches to answer these four questions. We'll report from a different head coach each day.
Tim McFarlin, Class AAAA champion Blessed Trinity
1. With a full offseason to reflect, what is the most memorable or special thing that you take from your championship season?"Looking back on the championship season brings lots of special memories. What tends to stand out in my mind is the road we traveled to get there. High school football in Georgia is special, and we had the opportunity to play against five great programs in the playoffs. Oconee County was our only home game, and they were a tough first-round opponent. The next four weeks on the road were all against great programs with outstanding communities who have long-standing winning traditions. Cartersville, Thomson's Brickyard, Mary Persons and Marist are as good as it gets on Friday nights in the fall. We were fortunate to have played in those fours stadiums in front of packed houses and to have advanced each week. All five games will hold special memories for me for a long time."
2. What did winning this championship teach you about what it takes to win a championship that you didn't already know? "Our staff has talked about this often, and there are two lessons we take away from the 2017 season. First is to never sell a group of kids short on what they can accomplish. We replaced all five starters on the offensive line and three out of four up front on defense coming into the season. We were very concerned at the beginning of the year, but the amount of growth we saw in those young men was remarkable. The second lesson was how many benefits can come from regular-season losses if you choose to see setbacks as opportunities for learning. Our greatest periods of growth as a team came immediately after losses to Marietta and Marist. That's a credit to our assistant coaches and players for choosing to learn lessons and move on."
3. The 2017 finals had some controversies. One was the weather postponement of several games out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The other was a call in the Peach County-Calhoun game that sparked a debate about the use of instant replay. How would you critique the GHSA's handling of those situations? "I'd rather not talk about how the GHSA handled the championship situation. They were faced with the biggest snowstorm to hit Atlanta in decades, and it was a challenge. I'm sure they learned lessons from it and will be more prepared for a similar event in the future. As for my personal preference, I like the atmosphere of state championship games being played at high school stadiums. There's nothing like playing in front of a packed house, even if it's your opponent's stadium. No doubt playing at Mercedes-Benz is special, but if we're going to do it, I'd rather see GHSA host the games there for the semifinals. As far as instant replay is concerned, I'm for it in the state finals as long as GHSA provides the service equally to every championship game. There would be some details to work out, but I think it's worth doing in order to assure the fairest outcome."
4. What's the outlook for your team this season? "Our goals for the 2018 season are the same as every year. We hope to stay healthy, enjoy the process and try to play as long as we can. We're not concerned about repeating. In fact, we see repeating as something that is impossible. Seniors have graduated, the schedule has changed, some coaches have moved, so there's really no way we could repeat the season we just had. I have no desire to chase something that has already happened. We do believe we have a good chance to have a great season. I'm sure every high school football team in Georgia feels the same way, and they should. A new start to a new football season is always an exciting time for schools and their communities. We're looking forward to it."
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