GHSF Daily's Four Questions feature historically poses the same questions to a different Georgia head coach each issue. This season, head coaches are being asked Four Questions tailored to current events. Today's interviewee is North Cobb Christian head coach Mark Hollars, whose team last week defeated its third top-10 opponent this season, Mount Paran Christian, in a Region 6-A game. Prior to this season, North Cobb Christian's all-time record was 22-76. The Eagles are now 9-1 and ranked and playoff-bound for the first time.
Mark Hollars, North Cobb Christian head coach
1. You've had three wins this season against top-10 teams - Trion, Darlington, Mount Paran. Was any one more special than the others? "We emphasize to our players that every game matters. We stress being ready to play at our best every Friday night at 7:30. Our wins over Trion, Darlington and Mount Paran are all special because it allowed us to earn respect within the region. All three programs have great traditions and have outstanding coaches. We respect all three schools and realize that if we can play with them, we are heading in the right direction."
2. What has been the reaction at the school and in the community to the football team's sudden success? "Our community is very excited about the success of our football team. It was gratifying to see our student body storm the field on Friday night after our victory. The community has been praying for us all season, and we have seen God working in our program. We have been fortunate to win the Fox 5 and WSB-TV games of the week through our fan voting. Our students have been travelling to away games this year, and it has made a difference."
3. This is the most successful team that the school has had by far. What's different this season? "The key to our success this year has been the 'brotherhood' mentality of our team. Our kids do not care who gets the credit. We just want to win on Friday. We have established a culture of playing for one another. Each week, different kids have stepped up to help us achieve our goals. The other factor has been our focused preparation each week. Our players have bought into the importance of quality preparation. We focus on what we control, and that is the practice and game that we have that week."
4. Going back to when you got the job, the school hadn't yet played a full region schedule. What needed to be done to take that next step? Was the mere decision to move to a full region schedule a catalyst, or were there things that the coaching staff and administration needed to put in place to make that next step realistic or successful? "We needed to establish an identity. Our program was only 10-years-old when I took over, and I was already the fifth head coach. We told the kids that we would stay and build a program if they would commit to working at getting better every day. The kids and coaches that stayed through that difficult first year bought into the long-term plan. We now have an identity on offense, defense and special teams. We have an identity as a program. The players know what is expected of them in the classroom, on the practice field and during the offseason. We have spent a lot of time in intentional prayer asking God to bless our efforts."
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