|
After weeks of speculation Blake Morrison made it official May 28
and resigned as the AD and Head Football Coach at Orangefield.
He'll be the defensive coordinator at Coldspring under his good
friend and Head Coach Bryan Barbay. The Trojans have made the
playoffs the last three seasons before running into Kirbyville, and
West Orange-Stark the last two seasons, and falling in bi-district.
“It was the
toughest decision of my professional career,” he said. “To pick my
family up and move from a place we love is tough but I think it’s
time to move on. In fact my daughter asked me if we could still say
‘We Believe’ (Bobcat motto) and I said sure so we’ll be taking some
of Orangefield with us.” His wife also worked for his father’s
construction business for many years and will be looking for
another job.
Morrison
said he knew his football record wasn’t acceptable at 12-34 over
five seasons but when he took the job he wanted all sports to
excel. “We had some tough times in football but our other sports
saw improvement. I don’t want to make excuses but we didn’t catch
many breaks on the football field.”
And Morrison
is right. He took over in 2004, the year after Orangefield had one
of its most successful seasons in years. A team full of seniors who
had become successful after several seasons under Kevin Flanigan.
And not only
was 2004 a rebuilding year, it was also the year after they took
sure wins against Kountze, Buna, Hardin and replaced them with West
Orange-Stark in a six team district.
Then in 2005
the Bobcats had a 2-1 record including an impressive win over East
Chambers when Hurricane Rita came to town. When they finally got to
play again, a 13-0 loss to Hamshire-Fannett in a game they should’ve
won, started a snowball effect and they finished 4-4.
2006 was
another realignment year that didn’t help the Bobcats as Morrison
put it, “We became the Big 12 South” with Jasper, Silsbee, and
Kirbyville joining the Mustangs, Bobcats, Bridge City, H-F, and
Hardin-Jefferson in 21-3A.
They opened
district with Silsbee and should’ve beat them, losing 35-27. This
disappointment turned into a six game losing streak and a 4-6
finish.
In 2007 with
the same schedule they finished 3-6.
Last season
the best athlete in school decided not to play football while they
lost several key players to injury, including All-District performer
Luke Gunstream. The season also saw another hurricane and although
other schools went through it too, the Bobcats aren’t the type of
team that can beat you with just talent. They’ve always needed
plenty of preparation.
“Despite the
things that happened, the one thing I can say is our kids at
Orangefield never quit,” the former head Bobcat said. “They always
played hard no matter the score.”
As the
defensive coordinator the last two seasons under Flanigan he put
together fantastic defenses, which helped him get the job when
Flanigan went to Crosby.
Defense may
win championships but offense makes people happy. And with the
success of the spread offense around the country, it put more
pressure on a defensive minded coach to score points. And points
didn’t come easy under Morrison, scoring less than a touchdown five
times in ’04, four times in ’05, and they only scored more than 17
in a game once last year and that was in a 27-21 loss to H-F.
But in 2006
they averaged 28 points per game and in ’07 they average 22 points
per game despite finishing below .500 on the season.
In those two
years, current BC assistant Josh Smalley was the offensive
coordinator. “Josh really understood what we wanted to do and how
to score with the personnel we had,” Morrison said. So it’s no
surprise that Smalley’s name has surfaced as a top candidate. But
as of the time this column was written, he still hasn’t decided
whether or not he’ll apply.
OF Supt.
Phillip Welch said the school will begin the process of searching
for a new coach soon. At this point the sooner the better with many
good coaches and assistants having already found new places of
employment.
Although
being in a tough district with little coming up, the job is expected
to draw a good amount of applicants. The OF school district is one
of the top in the Triangle and the thought of getting to hand pick
at least six assistants will be inviting.
I wish Coach
Morrison and his family the best of luck as they move on to the next
chapter of their lives.
|
