Coffee football coach Mike Coe had a feeling his team had the potential to be something special and watched them improve each week, culminating in the school’s first state championship. The Trojans beat Creekside 31-14 to finish 15-0 and capture that long-awaited title.
“They just kept taking little steps,” Coe said. “We’re not a big seven-on-seven team, but we went to Florida State and Georgia – and we did really well at Georgia. I thought that gave us some confidence. We had a really good spring game with Brooks County and went to OTAs at Lee County and Thomas County Central and we held our own. I did it on purpose because I wanted our kids to face the best. That helped us.”
Coffee beat Bainbridge and beat Bolles Schools of Florida, despite losing quarterback Maurice Hansley to an injury. The Bolles win was of the come-from-behind variety, another step in the process.
But the big moment came when Coffee went to Ware County and beat the defending state champions on their own turf.
“It wasn’t just that we beat them at their place, but how we beat them,” Coe said. “The kids fell in. They started thinking, ‘Hey, we can do this.’ And since then every week we’ve just been getting better and better.”
Coffee was elevated to No. 1 in the AJC rankings on Sept. 24 and never faltered.
Hansley came back after missing a couple of weeks and had a great season. In the state championship game he threw for 124 yards and one touchdown and ran for 90 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with 1,422 yards passing and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 120 and five touchdowns.
“He’s just now probably hitting his stride in the last three weeks,” Coe said.
The bull for the offense was Fred Brown, who ran for 166 yards and one touchdown in the final and finished with 2,305 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. Coffee scored 583 points and allowed only 100.
And when Creekside made a second-half run to threaten the Trojans, the staff felt confident about their young men.
“Our kids don’t flinch,” Coe said.
Coe won championships in Florida before being entice to Coffee before the 2022 season. Coffee County School Superintendent Morris Leis, a former Coffee football player, captivated Coe with his vision for the program.
“He allowed me to put together an unbelievable coaching staff that are great me, first of all, and professionals,” Coe said. “They all get along and they love our kids first and foremost. Man, it’s just a great system and I’m blessed.”
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