GHSF Daily asked Georgia head coaches to answer these four questions. We'll report from a different head coach each day.
Chad Alligood, Washington-Wilkes
1. What is the real difference-maker in winning and losing in Georgia high school football? "The most important thing you have to have to win in Georgia is continuity in every aspect of the program. Everyone from coaches, players, administration, teachers, boosters and community must understand the plan you have and be willing to follow it. Winning football games has to be a byproduct of how you run your program. Winning will take care of itself if you have a plan and do not compromise what you believe in."
2. Which player that you've coached is memorable mostly for his character or inspiration? "I have two - Casey Hayward, Perry High School, 2006-07, and Tobias Oliver, Northside High School, 2014-16. Both of these young men had unbelievable character and could inspire the team to win! Both of their competitive natures were so intense that other players had no choice but to follow them. Both of them could compartmentalize pain during games like no others. They wanted to be on the field every snap. They both had a burning desire also to succeed in the classroom. Casey went on to play and graduate from Vanderbilt (now with the Chargers), and Tobias is now playing at Georgia Tech."
3. What is the best atmosphere for a high school game that you've experienced away from home? "Last year when Northside played Houston County at the new Freedom Field. You could not put another person in that stadium, and the noise level was off the charts. To watch those two teams and two QBs (Oliver and Jake Fromm) battle it out for the third year in row was something special."
4. As a player or coach at any level, which game do you wish you could play again? "Coaching at Northside when we played Parkview for the state championship at the Mac [McConnell-Talbert Stadium] in 2001. That is the night the lights went out in the stadium during the fourth quarter, and we had a delay for about 30 minutes. We were driving the ball, and I really thought we had them on their heels at that time, and the delay gave them time to rest and stopped our momentum. When the lights came back on, we fumbled the toss the very first play, and we could not get it going after that and lost 12-7. That game still eats at me to this day. We all still believe someone at Warner Robins High School turned those lights out, ha ha!"
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