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Wednesday, November 25, 1998
Welch building winning tradition at Copperas
Cove
By JAIME ARON Associated Press
Copperas Cove is in the playoffs for the first time since 1960,
and with two victories the Bulldogs already have advanced farther
than any team in school history.
The next challenge for Copperas Cove (10-2) is Midland Lee
(11-1) on Friday night in San Angelo. A victory would put the
Bulldogs in the Class 5A Division II quarterfinals against the
winner of Saturday's game between Amarillo (9-3) and South Grand
Prairie (8-4).
Although Copperas Cove's woeful history indicates the team
is a one-year wonder, that's hardly the case. Coach Jack Welch
has spent five years getting his program to this point and, by
the looks of things, the Bulldogs likely will be playing past
Thanksgiving for many years to come.
When Welch arrived before the 1994 season, his first task was
to establish a football pipeline that stretched practically from
diapers to diplomas.
Elementary school students were asked to run onto the field
in front of the varsity team before home games. The pack was dubbed
the "bleacher creatures."
For fourth through sixth graders, tackle football was started
in Pee Wee leagues that previously had only played flag football.
In middle school, more teams were added.
The middle school coaches worked with the high school coaches
and Welch even kept tabs on the Pee Wee games. A coaching clinic
is held each year for the volunteer coaches and Welch's staff
offers tips during the season.
"We all work together," said Welch, who also began
offseason weight training and conditioning to run track and play
basketball.
With all levels using the same styles (a pro-style offense
and a 4-3 defense), the players don't have to learn the basics
each year. Instead, they get better at the things they were already
doing.
The scheme is working. The current group of juniors went undefeated
in 7th, 8th and 9th grades, then were 9-1 as the junior varsity
last year even after 13 players moved up to varsity.
This year's junior varsity went 9-0-1 and won district. The
freshman A team went 9-1 and won district and the freshman B team
was a district tri-champion.
"So, we feel like we're making some progress," said
Welch, who was recommended for the job by former Cove coach Hal
Mumme, the current University of Kentucky coach. The two had worked
together at West Texas State in the 1980s.
Welch actually made progress his first year in town. The 1994
Bulldogs went 5-4-1 for the first winning season since 1976, when
they went 8-2 but missed the playoffs on a coin toss.
"People said then that we turned things around and I said
not yet," Welch said. "Wins and loss ultimately show
where a program is going, but first you need a solid foundation.
We had to take care of the little things for the big things to
take care of themselves."
Reality hit the next year when they went 2-8. But Welch's promise
of building something slowly seemed evident as they won four game
in '96 and five games in '97.
"Some people go into a school and have success like you've
never seen for three or four years, but that's because of the
classes they have," Welch said. "If you're not cultivating
the young kids and not getting an entire program flowing, sooner
or later it's going to catch up to you."
Welch's hard works has caught up this year.
The Bulldogs began the year 6-0 before getting stomped 43-17
by Killeen Ellison, then falling 12-7 to Waco the following week.
They rebounded with a 45-7 trouncing of Temple, the school's first-ever
victory over their longtime district rival, and closed the regular
season by beating Killeen 58-0.
Welch said his team was intimidated by Ellison, the state's
preseason No. 1, and was still seeking to regain lost confidence
the next week.
"That's when I started talking about breaking the chains
of tradition," said Welch, who now often reminds his team
to ignore what others think and concentrate on simply doing their
best.
"I preach this all the time: winning a football game on
the scoreboard doesn't make you a winner. You win by the effort
you put out, by the execution. If you give everything you have,
then we're victorious."
Cove opened the playoffs against another preseason favorite,
Arlington Lamar, and won 27-24. The Bulldogs drilled Irving Nimitz
38-7 last weekend.
The star of the team has been running back Vontez Duff, but
Welch insists the team has many other weapons.
They'll have plenty more next year, too, as the squad will
lose fewer than a dozen seniors. Welch expects next year's team
to have more than 30 fourth-year players, all of whom will have
grown up playing in his system.
"Our best years," he said, "are coming."
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