Woods has Panthers playing for state crown

By TIM THORSEN / Staff Writer

In his three seasons at Abilene Christian High School, coach Steve Woods has a record of 29-7 and the Panthers have made three consecutive playoff appearances.

Not bad for a coach who had never seen a Six-Man game when he was hired and inherited a team which finished 0-10 its previous season.

"When I came to Abilene Christian, I didn't know a lot about the previous coaches or teams," Woods said. "In fact, I was just trying to apply basketball principles to football. It made sense, to me, because there is just one more player on the field in Six-Man."

However, before Woods could turn around the Panther program, he had to first teach his team how to win.

"When I came to ACHS, the kids were not that bad, physically," Woods said. "Psycologically, though, they needed help. With them, it really was a mental thing. They just weren't sure how to win."

In his three seasons, however, Woods has seen the Panthers go from doubting their ability to win games to the championship game of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial School Six-Man playoffs for the second consecutive season.

"Over the past few seasons, we have developed a killer instinct and that was missing when I arrived," Woods said. "Now, instead of hoping to just make games close, the team tries to end games as soon as possible with the 45-point rule."

Woods, however, is quick to deflect acclaim for his work, instead pointing to his players as the source of the turnaround.

"When I first got here, I wanted to establish team leaders - guys who would set the tone for the season," Woods said. "And every season, the seniors have really stepped up.

"Of course, having quarterback John Estes IV as a sophomore my first season has made my job alot easier. He has been a big key to the turnaround" Woods said.

In addition, offensive complexity, according to Woods, has greatly contributed to the success of the Panthers.

"Our system gives the kids a lot of flexibility and gives everyone a chance to touch the ball, which keeps them interested" Woods said. "While most Six-Man teams use only one or two receivers at the most, we send four receivers out nearly every play.

"The fact that we can play such a complex offense is a credit to our players. They have to be able to grasp the offense and understand what is going on. In that sense, our success is a credit to the intelligence of our players."

The Panthers face Bryan Allen Academy in the TAPPS Six-Man state championship at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Clifton.