During his first year at Whitwell High, head coach R.C. Helton has helped turn things around and guided the football team to the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Head coach Helton observes kicker Austin Nunley and holder Tyler Tate during field goal practice at Whitwell High School in Whitwell, Tenn., on Wednesday.WHITWELL, Tenn. - It was just one play. But it was the type of play that can change the direction of a team's entire season, and one that most Whitwell teams in the past didn't know how to make.
Trailing Harriman in the second half and facing a fourth-and-12, Whitwell quarterback Tyler Tate rolled out and completed a 13-yard pass to keep alive a drive that culminated in a tying touchdown. The Tigers went on to finish the late comeback for a win that helped them achieve the program's first winning season in a decade (6-4) and qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
"One of our assistants told me afterward that he hadn't seen a Whitwell team come back to win a game in four years," Tigers first-year coach R.C. Helton said. "I'm a firm believer that one play, one drive can alter a team's whole mentality. As a coach it puts chills on you to see the change in the kids. That changed some of the expectations."
When Helton took over the program just before spring practice, he became the Tigers' seventh head coach in 11 years. That meant one of his toughest tasks was to gain the trust of the players who knew only instability.
"It was hard to trust him at first, because of what we had been through," said Tigers senior center Andy Kilgore. "But we knew from previous experience if we didn't trust him we wouldn't accomplish anything. I think most of us knew all along we could be good -- it was just a matter of having somebody who believed in us and showed us how.
"Coach Helton came in with a plan, and we believed in him."
There isn't an aspect of Helton's life that isn't planned. A 1983 East Ridge graduate and three-year letterman, he played running back and kick returner for Glendale Community College in Arizona and eventually served for more than 18 years with the Maricopa County Sheriff's office.
In the latter stages of that career, Helton, who has a master's degree in psychology, was a commander of the Hostage Crisis Negotiations Unit, overseeing more than 80 cases in his two-plus years. But the stress level from that job helped lead to a stroke so severe that he needed a year of rehab. Even now, nine years later, he still doesn't have full sensation in his right hand.
Almost overnight, the seemingly invincible officer recognized he was vulnerable, and at 40 years of age he decided to change occupations.
"Having a stroke changed my priorities," Helton said. "It was a reality check. I had seen a lot of broken lives during my time with the sheriff's office, and I realized I could have much more influence on young men as a coach. At this level you can reach them before their lives are broken.
"I think it's critical for our country that we as coaches develop young men and teach them more than the game. Football is a laboratory for life. I'm a firm believer in that. It teaches you resilience, overcoming the odds, the value of working hard and working as a team."
Helton began coaching in the Phoenix area but eventually came back closer to home to take over a Whitwell program struggling to find an identity and consistency.
"The community and players were very sensitive about that," Helton said. "There was a lack of trust as it relates to wondering if I was going to be here for one year and then be gone. I told them I didn't expect them to trust me right away, but just to do what we ask and see the results.
"Changing the expectation level of the young men -- what they had for themselves -- was a big thing. It's gratifying to see this bunch of guys overcome so much and qualify for the playoffs. I've seen the stands filling back up and people in the community getting excited again. These kids are doing something special that can help an entire community feel good about itself."
After frustrating narrow losses midway through the season to state-ranked Middle Tennesse Christian and county rival South Pittsburg -- by a combined seven points -- Whitwell won its last four games by an average margin of 42 points.
Going into tonight's first-round playoff game at perennial state power Trousdale County, the Tigers lead all Class 2A teams with a whopping 346.1 rushing yards per game, including three games with 400-plus yards on the ground. They also average 7 yards per carry as a team, with four players having surpassed 500 rushing yards this season.
"He made us work a lot harder, but that's made us a better team," Tate said. "We've learned to fight through adversity. Even when we're down we don't quit now. It means everything as seniors to do what we're doing, because not many seniors from here have done this in a while."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.