GHSF Daily asked Georgia head coaches to answer these four questions. We'll report from a different head coach each day.
Jeff Herron, Prince Avenue Christian
1. What is the most memorable game you've been a part of as a player or coach? "There are a lot of wins over the years that I have very fond memories of, but unfortunately I tend to remember some of the losses more. My first year as a head coach at Walton when we blew a 20-7 lead to Sprayberry with about five minutes to go, and my first year at Camden when we had a 7-6 lead over Benedictine with two minutes to go, the ball and a first down. Somehow we managed to lose 9-7! I think about those two quite a bit, but I must say that my most memorable game is my last high school game as a player. We lost in the playoffs in Blacksburg, Va., in a game we should have won. They went on to win the state championship. I can still remember almost every detail of that game and it haunts me to this day. Every year that feeling motivates me to try and make sure our seniors don't have to experience it." [Herron's Virginia high school was Gate City High.]
2. Which high school coach would you want your son to play for, and why? "We have so many great ones in our state that it is hard to single out anyone. Of course, I would put Jimmy Dorsey and Billy Henderson at the top of the list. Both are great men who did it the right way, and their players loved to play for them. Also, some of my former assistants who are doing a great job and are tremendous role models for their players, such as: Jeff Arnette at South Forsyth, Frank Stephens at Ware County, Jon Lindsey at East Paulding, Welton Coffey at Camden County, Bryan Love at Westlake, Bill Ballard at White County, Scott Wilkins at Cedar Shoals and Jason Tone at Worth County. Both my sons would have been better off playing for any of them than being stuck with me!"
3. What is your pet peeve as a coach or favorite saying/motto? "I don't really have a pet peeve, but it does bother me when a young man tells me that he needs to concentrate on a single sport and misses out on the memories of playing different sports for his school."
4. Which GHSA policy or high school football rule would you most like to see changed? "Of course, like every year, you know I am going to say I would like to see the state championship games returned to the communities and home towns. But, that will probably never happen, so I will go with letting us have a spring scrimmage at the end of spring practice. Spring practice is one of the things that makes our state unique and helps so much with recruiting. While at Camden I had an opportunity to watch the Florida schools have jamborees each spring, and sometimes there would be 40 or 50 colleges from all over the country there to watch. I think it would help our players and help our schools with the gate receipts."
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