Sophomore Pioneer quarterback, Brady Swallows, No. 12, is being pursued by senior Tullahoma defender Jalen Hill as sophomore Pioneer lineman Xavier Simmons attempts to extend his block.
The Warren County High School Pioneers traveled to Tullahoma Friday night and lost 37-0. The Pioneers were down 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, but fell behind 30-0 by halftime. After receiving the opening kickoff to start the second half, Tullahoma started on their 47-yard line and marched 53 yards in two minutes to go up 37-0. Tullahoma’s second-string played the rest of the game.
Going over the numbers can become like rubbing salt in the wounds. For example, the Pioneers have been outscored by 30 points or more in the last five games. The Pioneers need a break, and fortunately, Warren County’s fall break has officially started.
Commenting about a high school team in this situation purely on a football level misses the central theme of high school athletics. What is the central theme, you may ask? Grant Swallows, the Director of Warren County Schools and the quarterback coach for the Pioneers, articulated the central theme to the team after the game.
Coach Grant Swallows said, “I do want to say something. I love each of you, and I am glad you all put on a Warren County uniform and play for this team. Losing is tough, but you are not defined by this game. Do not walk off this field trying to define yourself by the score tonight. We care about you. We are here to encourage you, and we will continue to push you to work hard. But please remember that we are in this because we want you to be good men and to have good memories.”
Head coach Matt Turner followed Swallows by saying, “Of course you know that I love you, and I want this to be positive for you. I want us all to work hard to give our seniors a good sendoff at home in two weeks. The stands will be full, and our job is to keep those fans in the stands for four quarters. We will keep working on the basics.”
Tullahoma head coach, Coy Sisk said, “Matt Turner and that staff are doing a great job. I know they are playing a lot of young guys. Those guys are doing the best they can. What we have to do is make ourselves better every week. We had 53 records in the weight room this week. We continue to get stronger. I think our scout team did a good job of preparing us this week. That is why we were able to do some of the things we were able to do tonight.”
Tullahoma (6-2) controls their own destiny in terms of their final regional standings. They have a week off as does Warren County, and they end their season with two road games against region opponents, Spring Hill and Shelbyville. If Tullahoma wins out, they will be region champions.
Warren County (1-7) will practice Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during the fall break. The Pioneers play Wilson Central (3-4) at Nunley Stadium on October 20, which will double as homecoming and senior night. Wilson Central was off this week, and has not won a region game. They play Gallatin on Friday the 13th before coming to McMinnville.
LOOKING GLASS SELF – WHAT WE THINK AND SAY ABOUT PIONEER FOOTBALL COULD BE POSITIVE OR HARMFUL
One day, many years ago when I was in a college sociology class, the professor started talking about the Looking Glass Self theory. It is a theory about how a self-image is shaped that popped into my mind as I was leaving the Tullahoma game.
The concept was Charles Horton Cooley’s theory. The following is an excerpt from one of his books:
A self-idea of this sort seems to have three principal elements: the imagination of our appearance to the other person; the imagination of his judgment of that appearance, and some sort of self-feeling, such as pride or mortification.
— Charles Cooley, Human Nature and the Social Order, p. 152
Losing is tough. I have to remind myself that the Pioneers are high school students. The head coach and the majority of the present staff led the Pioneers to a winning season in 2020. Coaching is not the reason they are losing.
We all want the team to feel the love. When the team is losing, I have to double down and support them. My actions and words may influence how the team feels about themselves as people, not merely as football players and coaches.
The team is young. They will grow and mature. 70 players recently finished playing football at the middle school. Over 200 kids have played youth football in Warren County this fall. The troops are coming, and a turnaround is both possible and probable. Keep the dream of Warren County football alive with faith and love. Love is patient and kind.
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