GHSF Daily asked Georgia head coaches to answer these four questions. We'll report from a different head coach each day.
Vince Strine, Chattahoochee
1. What is the most memorable game you've been a part of as a player or coach? "The best game I've ever been a part of was in 2010 when we played Marist in the second round of the playoffs. We had been untested all season, and Marist completely shell-shocked us with their discipline and the way they came off the ball. They were up on us 28-14 at halftime, and that half might have been the weirdest halftime I've ever been a part of. We had not been down at any point in the season, but there was no yelling or panic by the players or coaches, just a calmness. We believed, even at half and down by two touchdowns, we had a game plan that we could win with; we just needed to go out there and settle down. The second half was a different story. We shut Marist out the second half, and Ammon Lakip kicked a field goal with 46 seconds left to put us up 31-28. I'll never forget how loud our stands got when the ball sailed through the uprights. It was the loudest high school atmosphere I've even been a part of. Josh Gregory sealed the win with an interception as Marist was trying to get their team in field goal position. That 2010 team would go on to win the state championship. That was a special group."
2. Which high school coach would you want your son to play for, and why? "The coach that I would most want my son to play for would be Mike Berg from Grand Forks Central in North Dakota. My family moved there right before my senior year of high school from Charleston, S.C., which was a complete culture shock. Coach Berg had been a very successful coach in North Dakota, but what mattered more to him than any state championship or wins was the idea that his life was dedicated to turning boys into men. He cared about each of his players, even the quiet ones that hardly ever played much, as his own son. Many of his examples that he taught me when I was a high school senior I still try to live by today. He was recently inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, but I know it was more about his positive influence than his overall record. We still stay in touch all the time, and he sends me scripture to read every morning. He is a coach that I would want anyone's son to learn from."
3. What is your pet peeve as a coach? "I'm not very good with people always wanting their problems solved without thinking through solutions first. If a player has a conflict or something, I would much rather they come to me with a solution already planned out instead of just giving me their problem and expecting me to solve it."
4. Which GHSA policy or high school football rule would you most like to see changed? "You can't make everyone happy with more rules or changes to rules. The metro area has changed so much in just the last five years. I think GHSA has done a great job trying to keep up with the changes to make it as fair as possible for everyone. I'm glad they are noticing things like technology on the sidelines, the difference between schools in AAAAAA, and how easy it is for people to move from place to place in this area. With the GHSA being proactive, it's hard to complain too much. I wish decisions could be made and everyone would be happy, but that simply can't happen. Every school has its own issues and dynamics. I do like that the GHSA is recognizing the advantages of being a school that has tuition, which allows students from out of district to attend. This has been a problem for a long time, and hopefully we will see a more level playing field with that down the road."
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