By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
It’s the same, but it’s different.
When Captain Shreve and Huntington meet tonight at Independence Stadium to open the District 1-5A season – yes, a district game in Week 2 – Gators’ head coach Jeremy Wilburn will be coaching against a school where he served as an assistant for the last four years.
Huntington Stephen Dennis knows all about that … sort of.
Eight years ago, Dennis came to Huntington after being an assistant at Northwood. And guess who the Raiders played in Week 7 that year? That’s right – Northwood.
So, yes, Dennis can relate to how Wilburn feels, but there is a difference in this case. At Northwood, he coached under Jim Gatlin, who Dennis says is “like a second father” to him.
Dennis and Wilburn are close in age and their relationship only goes back as far as when Wilburn was hired at Huntington.
“I can relate what it’s like,” Dennis said. “The relationship with the (Huntington) coaches is one thing. But for him, it’s probably more about the relationship with the kids he was coaching 12 months ago.”
Wilburn agrees while shying away from any discussion of sentimentality. “Obviously I know a lot of the kids there, but right now, I’m just trying to get the kids focused on us,” he said. “We are just worried about trying to get to 2-and-0.”
The two teams come into the game from opposite directions. Shreve played at home and defeated Ouachita 29-27. Huntington was on the road at West Monroe and was defeated 40-7.
Dennis said having a coach being plucked for your staff is the mark of a successful program. “Jeremy and I were strangers when I hired him,” he said. “He’s earned this opportunity through hard work. I’m really not surprised how organized they are and how well they are playing in all three phases because I got to see it every day.”
Both Wilburn and Dennis look at it with the “9-game” approach.
“I want those kids I coached to be healthy and have a great season,” Wilburn said. “I just don’t want their best game to be Week 2.”
“We will be rooting for them nine weeks out of the year,” Dennis said. “But we are trying to compete against them (Thursday).”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
Week 2 local high school football games
TONIGHT
Arcadia at Southwood, Leonard C. Barnes Stadium, BTW
Magnolia at Lincoln Prep
Captain Shreve at Huntington (Independence Stadium)
FRIDAY
Benton at Airline
Haughton at Byrd, Lee Hedges
Evangel at Natchitoches Central
Woodlawn at Parkway, Preston Crownover Stadium
BTW at Bastrop
Glenbrook at Bossier
Peabody at Northwood, Jerry Burton Stadium
Logansport at Loyola, Messmer Stadium
Neville at Calvary, Jerry Barker Stadium
Green Oaks at Mansfield
North Webster at North Caddo, Sanders-Prudhomme Stadium
Plain Dealing at Ringgold