Today’s interviewee is Coffee coach Mike Coe, whose team won Class 5A last season for the south Georgia school’s first football state championship. Coe came to Coffee in 2022 from Madison County in Florida, where he was on staff for 19 seasons, the last 12 as head coach. His Madison County teams averaged 11 wins per season and won four state titles over his final five seasons.
1. With some time to let the 2023 season sink in, what was the legacy or storyline of last year’s team? “It’s a story of brotherhood and toughness. In week two, we gave up a huge opening kickoff return versus Bainbridge, and two plays later we were down 7-0. The year before, that would have broken us possibly. This year, it fortified us. Our kids proved to themselves we were different. We had a true team, no superstars. Fred Brown obviously had a huge year [rushing for 2,488 yards], but he never allowed it to get to him and was a team-first guy all the way. It is a team and season that will be remembered in Coffee history as a magical ride.”
2. What’s the scouting report on this year’s team? “This year’s team has veterans at every level of the offense. We have guys at almost every position area that have played in some huge ball games, but our depth is not great at all areas. Fortunately, our trenches have more depth than we’ve had in my three years here. We have three running backs that could probably start at most places, and they’ll share the load. We have four offensive line starters back and a wide receiver as well, on offense. On defense we have a defensive lineman, three linebackers and three defensive backs who’ve all played a lot of football together, along with our kicker as well.”
3. This is your third season here. What are the big differences between Georgia and Florida football? “The support and resources are so different. It is almost like being in a different country at times. Our superintendent is the best and understands what football and athletics bring to a school. My old place I did not have that. Our school board and district leadership are the supportive in the same way. They see that we are trying to build the whole child and help build young men the right way, so they are behind us 100%. That wasn’t always the case at Madison County.”
4. What is Coffee like as a community? Is it what you expected? “Coffee has been awesome. They’ll support our young people in all that they do. We try to get our mission out to our community where they understand we are building young men first and players second. They travel really well too, and that means a great deal. Winning the state title in the Benz and having the whole side filled with Coffee folks will be a memory that will be etched in Coffee football history and our program’s mind forever. Coffee is a blue-collar town with really good people, and we want to do our part to keep that going and make it even better.”
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