By nature, prep football coaches are control freaks. Every day of every week of the season – and every part of that day, from practice schedules to the tiniest pregame detail – follows a strict script with little room for even the slightest deviation.
Although offensive and defensive philosophies may vary, the common personality trait among the coaching fraternity is a belief that consistency is the key to success.
So while high school coaches throughout Tennessee are grateful for a plan that has allowed games to be played amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality is no one is actually in control of any aspect of the season.
In a profession where the stress level already runs high enough that it often affects coaches’ mental and physical health, the uncertainty of not knowing whether the next game on the schedule, or even the next day’s practice, will happen has been jarring.
“It’s not the typical type of stress we’re used to, and it has been a mental drain,” Baylor coach Phil Massey said. “We’re all creatures of habit, but from camp to everything we’ve done since preseason has changed. We’re all out of rhythm. You anticipate the worst but plan for the best.