Meet your neighbor: Keith Etheredge

Published 8:01 am Tuesday, October 1, 2013

 

When Keith Etheredge was named head football coach at Leeds High School in 2006, the Green Wave was in a slump.  The team had only won seven games during the previous three seasons, and he recalls being advised that “you can’t win at Leeds.”

But he didn’t believe it.

“This is the same placed I played when I was in high school,” he said.  “We went 10-3 my senior year.  It was the only time in the history of the school Leeds had won 10 games in a season and gone to the third round of state playoffs.  I knew we could win.  It would just take a lot of hard work.”

Seven playoff appearances – including two state championships – later, Etheredge still preaches hard work to his players, who are off to a 3-1 start as they prepare for their biggest challenge of the season, the Piedmont Bulldogs, ranked second in Class 3A, who visit Homer Smiles Field at 7 p.m. Friday.

Surrounded in his office by assorted paperwork, football equipment, and Green Wave memorabilia, Etheredge discussed the upcoming game while reflecting on his time at Leeds as a player and a coach.

Muzzling the Bulldogs:  “We’ll have to play perfect this week.  They’re scoring 50-something points a game, and they have kids who can take it to the house on any play.  You make one mistake against a team like Piedmont, it’s six points.”

About this season’s Green Wave:  “We’re young.  We have seven seniors, and they’re good leaders and good kids.  Juniors, we have nine on offense and nine on defense, and we’re loaded with sophomores, so we’ll have our whole team back the next two years.  If we can stay healthy, we can play with anybody.”  Leeds is currently ranked fifth in Class 3A.

The coaching staff:  Ryan Shell serves as offensive coordinator, Brent Reese as defensive coordinator, Dale Burnett as linebackers and running backs coach, and Zac Elkins as defensive line coach.  “I love the staff we have right now,” Etheredge said.  “Having made it to at least the quarter finals of the playoffs each of the last seven years, it says a lot about what these guys have done and what these kids have accomplished.  We’re sitting here 3-1 going into a game against the number-two team in the state, and the future is bright here.”

Etheredge’s career at Leeds:  He played wide receiver and linebacker for the Green Wave, graduating in 1992.  After college, he served as Erwin High School’s head basketball coach for three years before returning to his alma mater as an assistant football coach, a post he held for two years before taking helm of the program.

How he describes his coaching style:  “Conservative.  You have to run the football and play defense if you want to win championships.  You can do those things and still win ball games, but you won’t win championships.  What we’re doing has worked for us, and we’re going to continue doing it.  I’d rather do 10 things perfect than 100 things so-so, and as long as we do what we do, after a game’s over, win or lose, you can still be proud of your kids.”

A symbiotic relationship:  “Our community feeds off the football program, and our football program feeds off the community.  These kids work hard to be successful, and they do a lot of things for the community that people don’t always see.”

Fridays during football season:  “It goes so fast, I can’t believe we’re in week five already. On Friday nights before a game, I try to talk to my wife and see my kids before we go out onto the field.  I always talk to the other coaches and make sure every base is covered.  I’m one of those guys who like to know everything is taken care of and we don’t have anything to worry about when it’s time to step on the field.  And I try to joke around, just to keep things light.”

Then on Saturdays:  “I’m at the youth park all the time.  My little girl cheers for the 75 team, and my little boy plays for the 115 team, so I’m always there to watch their games.  During the season, it’s pretty much all football and trying to be the best dad I can be.  And I also try to watch the Alabama or Auburn game on Saturday afternoon.”

Benefits of coaching:  “Away from football, I’ve been blessed even more than I have been with it.  I’ve made so many great friends and developed good relationships with so many people.  My wife always has a lot on her plate during football season.  She’s amazing, a great wife and the best mother I’ve ever been around.  She teaches here, and my kids go to school here.  I have no desire to go anywhere else.  I love it here in Leeds.”