Today's interviewee is Madison County coach and alumnus Chris Smith, whose team won its first state-playoff game in history last week with a 27-20 victory over Region 6-AAAA champion Ridgeland. Smith was Madison County's quarterback in 1990 and 1991. He has been the northeast Georgia school's head coach for eight seasons.
Chris Smith, Madison County head coach
1. What does this win mean to the team and to the program? Why was it significant? "Friday night's win at Ridgeland was huge for our young men, our coaching staff, our school and our community. Our young men have worked extremely hard in the offseason from last January to this point. We have posted the phrase 'Why not us?' over announcements and other team-related material since the summer. Our kids began to realize early in the season that they were capable of achieving whatever they set out to do. I am so proud of them. They deserve this victory. We had won a region play-in game before in '81 or '82 but not a traditional state playoff game. We preached all week to the team that they had an opportunity to etch their names into the history books at Madison County. That was a very big deal to these young men, and they came out and played very well on Friday against Ridgeland."
2. It was a tight game. How did it play out in the end? "We entered the fourth quarter tied 20-20 and go back and forth for a while. We get the ball back with around 5:30 on the clock and just start a solid drive down the field. We get the ball down around the 10-yard line and have four penalties in a row. So we are facing a third-and-20 from about the 25-yard line. I decided to just try and get the ball a little closer for a better field-goal opportunity, and we got an 18-yard run by Martavian Cooper. At that point I decided to go freeze to see if we could get them to jump, and they jumped offsides, giving us a first down on the 4-yard line. The next play, Dayton Gresham scored on a 4-yard run. We were up 27-20. We ended the game with an interception by Colby Smith to secure the win."
3. Tell us about your time as a player at Madison County, and how did those experiences inspire you to become a coach (if they did)? "I graduated from Madison County High School in 1992. I played quarterback, free safety, defensive end and running back during my four years. I settled in at quarterback my junior and senior seasons and played free safety in passing situations. I played for Larry Milligan, now head coach at Greene County. Things are very similar today as they were back then as far as players and the community. We have great young men in our program. They work extremely hard and give you everything they have day in and day out. Our facilities have improved tremendously over my time here, and that is a testament to having an outstanding group of leaders at our central office from our superintendent, assistant superintendents and our school board. They are great to work with. They go above and beyond to make things better for our student-athletes. Playing for Coach Milligan, coach Doug Kesler, coach Wesley Jenkins, coach David Smith, coach Joe Cheek, coach Mike Barger and coach David Keller had a tremendous impact on my life. These men made a positive impact and laid the groundwork for my decision to become a teacher and a coach."
4. How would you describe the football program and the school and county life in Madison County? "Madison County is a great place to live and raise a family. I have lived here my entire life. There is no better place to be. We have one of the best school systems around. We have come a long way during my 22 years here. When I returned to Madison County after college, things had not changed much. At that point, we had a group of administrators come together and develop a plan to change things. Part of this plan was to improve the academics within the school system, and the other part of the plan was to improve things athletically. During my time here, we have only had three head coaches [over the past 22 seasons]. I worked for coach Tom Hybl and coach Randell Owens for the first 14 years of my career here. The last eight years, I have been blessed to be the head coach. The low turnover rate here is a commitment from the school system to look beyond wins and losses. The community definitely wants to win, but they know that there is more to the game of football. It is about the quality of the young men that you are producing within your program. My goal is to win games but more importantly produce quality young men who will be productive citizens in our community one day."
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