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Wednesday, October 29, 1997

Everman coach quietly focuses on immediate goal

By DONALD EMMONS / Fort Worth Star-Telegram

EVERMAN, Texas - Danny Yokeley went into his seventh season coaching at Everman only three wins shy of career victory No. 100.

Not once during two-a-days in August did the subject come up.

The players didn't find out about the possibility of their head football coach achieving such a milestone until the day they faced Azle in the third week of the season.

Even then, they found out from the assistant coaches.

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 4 in the Star-Telegram rankings, responded by going out and posting a 43-0 victory.

To Yokeley, No. 100 "only means I've been around a while."

He's always more concerned with the next victory.

"Now each victory becomes more important to the season," Yokeley said. "It's about getting the next victory."

And he's not talking cliche.

His Everman Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0 in district) play host to District 13-4A co-leader Waxahachie (7-1, 5-0) on Friday night.

But with a playoff spot on the line, Yokeley isn't worried. He never is worried about victories and defeats.

"I got in this coaching basically to have fun, so I'm not going to let it affect me how a team does one way or another, win or lose," Yokeley said. "But, of course, any time you see smiles on the kids' faces it's always that much better."

And that's no cliche, either.

Senior tight end William Wyrick said his coach takes it "from week to week, because if we don't focus, there won't be any playoffs."

Since Yokeley took over as the Bulldogs' head coach in 1991, getting the next victory has been fairly routine.

Until last year, when Everman produced an uncharacteristic 3-7 record, Yokeley's teams had averaged at least seven victories a season. Now, with Everman off to the best start in school history, 1996 appears to have been an anomaly.

"The No. 1 goal is to make the playoffs and we have to take care of business the final two games," Yokeley said. "We still have our destiny in our own hands and you can't ask for much more than that right now."

Everman quarterback Jermaine Grandberry shares a positive but cautious outlook.

"If we keep playing with our minds right, I think we'll have a great season," Grandberry said. "But we have to take it one game at a time; we can't look ahead and we can't look behind."

Maybe Yokeley has his players believing in this next victory stuff because he's had to take life one step at a time.

During his childhood in a small Missouri farming community, Yokeley was considered different by many other children in the neighborhood. He's half-white, half-Japanese.

But the son of a military man never let that affect him, nor his passion for sports -- particularly football.

"I went to American schools all my life and always loved playing football," Yokeley said. "I played all sports growing up like any kid."

The 45-year-old has succeeded in a sport in which few head coaches are minorities. Yokeley is 105-68-5, including 10 seasons at Kennedale.

He's found his comfort in coaching football at a school in which the makeup of the team is predominantly African-American.

"Being a minority, I know what it's like to be different," said Yokeley, who has lived in Everman the entire 19 years he has been a Texas resident. "You try to earn everybody's respect by doing things right. That's what I try to communicate to our kids."

Senior halfback Delvin Charleston characterizes his coach as very "motivational" in his coaching style.

"This year we're on a winning streak. Last year we were on a losing streak. Now we know what both sides are like," Charleston said.

With only two games remaining in the regular season, the Bulldogs expect an extended season. They plan to make noise in the Class 4A playoffs.

One victory at a time.

But first things first for Yokeley. Take on Waxahachie, then Cleburne.

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Distributed by The Associated Press