Today’s interviewee is Commerce coach Mark Hollars, whose team defeated then-No. 8 Washington Wilkes 31-20 in a Class A Public game last week. The victory put Commerce in position to win Region 8 with a victory at Lincoln County this week. Hollars, an Ohio native, got the Commerce job in the offseason. His North Cobb Christian teams had reached the second round or better each of the past three seasons in Class A Private.
Mark Hollars, Commerce head coach
1. How did the Washington-Wilkes game play out? What gave you the edge? “We knew that they were super talented on offense with a bunch of skill guys that keep you up all week. The quarterback is a great athlete that can run and throw it, and their receivers are as good as anybody’s we’ve seen. Their running backs are good. We felt our best defense was ball control. I believe we had 73 snaps Friday night. We had an eight-minute, 22-play drive at the end of the first half. We wanted to make it a six-possession game. Our offensive line blocked extremely well. Our defense did a great job when they were out there. We got stops, and we never let them get into a rhythm.”
2. What attracted you to the Commerce job? “Commerce has a great tradition. Football is important here. It’s important to the administration, to the athletes and to the whole community. It’s nice to be at a place where everybody cares about football. They’re going to support you and do all they can to help you be successful. So that passion for football was a big draw. Being part of a small town with small-town values, less traffic, knowing your neighbor, those were attractive things as well.”
3. Commerce has been a constant in Georgia high school football, with little turnover on the coaching staff and a similar style of offense through the years. What’s been the strategy and priorities of you and your staff? Has it been tailored to the situation a bit? “That’s a great question. I feel when you come to a place like Commerce, it’s your job to learn the tradition. At Commerce, the tradition is as good as anywhere. I’ve gotten to known Coach [Ray] Lamb, whose been very gracious. He comes by every week and spends time with me. I’ve gotten to know Coach [Ray] Savage. Coach [Michael] Brown and I knew each other before I was hired, and he’s been nothing but great in the transition. I think you want to honor the tradition. We believe in running the ball and in hard-nosed defense, so it was a good fit. I’ve always believed in that. I was always a triple-option guy. We’ve made some tweaks based on our personnel, trying to highlight kids’ skill sets, but it’s still power football. That’s Commerce. Successful football programs have an identity. If you come in new and try to change that, that’s taking a big risk there.” [Lamb was Commerce’s coach from 1967 to 1988 and won a state title in 1981. Savage was head coach from 1989 to 2010 and won a state title in 2000. Brown, an alumnus, was coach from 2013 to 2000 and went out with a region title.]
4. You’ve got another tough game this week. What’s it going to be like going to Lincoln County with its history? “We’re excited to be playing in this game. We told the kids this season to just take things one week at a time, and if they do that, their goal would be to play in a meaningful game in week 10. They’re getting to play for a region championship. Lincoln County has been a long-standing rival of Commerce. Obviously they have a rich, rich tradition. They run the wing-T. They’re a power-running team as well. We may do it a little differently schematically, but both programs are built on the same principals – run the ball, stop the run, play good special teams and don’t beat yourself. That’s what we’re trying to ultimately build here.” [Lincoln County’s quarterback, Trey Huff, was Commerce’s quarterback last season. His father, Doug, was on Commerce’s staff last season and is Lincoln County’s defensive coordinator.]
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