Today’s interviewee is Camden County coach Jeff Herron, whose team defeated Region 3-7A champion McEachern 26-0 last week to put the Wildcats in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2012, which was Herron’s last season at Camden County before returning in 2021. Herron’s coaching record is 333-68 with 19 region titles and five state championships. Camden will play at No. 1 Mill Creek on Friday.
1. If we remember the story correctly, when you took the Oconee County job in 1997, you told your players before the season that you planned to be practicing on Thanksgiving week, so don’t make travel plans. In your third year there, you were in the quarterfinals [first time for Oconee County in 15 seasons]. In your third season at Camden County in 2002, you made the quarterfinals [first time for Camden in 15 seasons]. Now in your third year back, you’re in the quarterfinals [first time in 11 seasons]. Did you have to remind this Camden group in 2021 to keep Thanksgiving free? And what’s the significance of the quarterfinals? “Jimmy Dorsey, who hired me originally, always used to say that it wasn’t a good season if you weren’t playing on Thanksgiving. It always stuck with me, and it’s always been a goal for every team I have coached. Yes, I did tell Oconee that my first year, which was probably an outlandish statement, but we made it, and it was a lot of fun. This year it’s especially gratifying to be practicing on Thanksgiving because it shows that we are making progress. We fell in the second round last year, so it was important to all of us to go further.”
2. Where do you feel your team is at this point in the season and in the rebuild in your third season back? “We are making improvement, not as fast as I would like, but we are getting closer as a program. I read this recently and I think it applies to us. The first year, we hoped we would win. The second year, we believed we could win, and this year, our third, we know we can win. There is a huge difference in those, and my goal when I came back was to get them back to knowing they could beat anyone, anytime. We are not completely there yet but are making progress.”
3. Camden is the only Wing-T team in the Class 7A quarterfinals and the only 7A quarterfinalist that doesn’t have a quarterback with a Power 5 offer. But here you are. Are the pros and cons about this offense the same as ever, or has that changed now vs. 20 years ago? “Simply put, if we weren’t running the Wing-T, we would not be playing this week. It is an offense that is different from what most everyone else is doing, and that in itself gives us an advantage. It is also an offense that requires unselfish people and that is team-first oriented, and I love that about it. I’m extremely happy that no one else runs it. I hope it stays that way. And we have also branched out a little more this year. Our quarterback, Parks Riendeau, although only a sophomore, has done a great job for us and opened up our passing game more than normal. He may not have any Power 5 offers, but he is a coach’s dream, and I wouldn’t trade him for anyone.”
4. What stands out to you about Mill Creek after watching film of them? “Mill Creek has an outstanding team, the best I have seen on film this year, and I have seen everyone still playing. They will be tough for anyone to beat, us included. Josh Lovelady and his staff do a great job. They are well-coached and have great schemes, and he gets them to play hard. Not to mention they have D-I talent running around all over the field. There is a reason they are the defending state champs and No. 1-ranked team.”
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