Ider, Tinker turn 3-7 years into 10-1

There were times during the past seven seasons since his final days as a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football player that Brent Tinker questioned his sanity.

One losing season after another wore on the former Moc, but he kept his faith -- and his sanity -- and his perseverance has finally been rewarded. His Hornets have given the community of Ider, Ala., much to celebrate. They're 10-1 and hosting a second-round playoff game against Lineville, a 9-2 team that beat Fyffe, the only team to beat Ider during the regular season.

"It has been a fun ride for the community," said Tinker, an Ider native and former Hornets quarterback. "These people have waited patiently, so they're about to go crazy."

Tinker was a vital cog in some of the school's long-lost winning years, playing on two teams that had nine-win seasons and three that participated in the postseason. It was easy for him to relate to the pride that had been closeted for most of a decade.

"I was in the dark when I got here. Common sense tells you to get under a good coach and learn the ins and outs, and I didn't do that," he said of his rookie year as a head coach. "I think about stuff now even when we're winning. When you lose you second-guess. I came in with zero experience. It has been a learning process, which wasn't fair to the kids really. All I can say now is that we survived."

Ider hadn't been to the playoffs since 1998. It had no better than three-win seasons for a decade. A win tonight would be the first time the Hornets have advanced to the playoffs' third round.

Running back Teague Whitaker is a 1,000-yard rusher and backfield mate Beau Dobbins leads the team in scoring, but they and the rest of the Hornets have listened throughout the season to Tinker's primary lesson.

"You always hear successful teams talk about chemistry, and that's what has gotten us here," the coach said. "It has been the ultimate team effort with a different player stepping up each week and making big plays. The kids have bought into the team concept, and it has paid off."

Ider had its third straight 3-7 season last year, and Tinker didn't like it.

"It was one of the toughest years. We had been able to keep things positive in previous seasons, but I felt last year that we should have gotten over the hump, and it didn't happen," he said. "We lost a couple of close games early."

The Hornets won a couple of close ones early this season, handing favored Pisgah its only loss of the regular season and then beating region favorite Westbrook.

"Since then I have tried to think about what brought the success, and I really feel like it was a boost in the confidence level," Tinker said said.

So he no longer wonders, at least not as much, if he made the right career choice. He no longer feels he is in the dark.

"Everything is settled and the kids know what to expect. I have the best staff I've had since I have been here," Tinker said. "I have a better idea of what's going on."