Larry Fleming: ‘Neers know their work has only just begun

North Murray High School can only dream about taking part in a football game as meaningful as the one played on Friday night by Dalton and Northwest Whitfield in Tunnel Hill, where a sub-region title and a state playoff berth were on the line.

But give the Mountaineers time.

Dalton began playing football in 1924 and Northwest hit the field for the first time in 1975. North Murray played its first junior varsity game on Aug. 27 against Murray County. Its home games are played on a borrowed field.

When Larry Cornelius came on board — he was the school’s first coaching hire — to lead the program, he had no team (just names of potential players), no equipment, no place to practice and very little money.

Even today, the Mountaineers are paying for every major purchase on the installment plan, which is not uncommon for first-year programs.

However, progress is being made.

“We’ve got equipment now,” Cornelius said.

There are on-field goals yet to attain. After a 36-33 loss to Woodland-Bartow on Thursday, the Mountaineers are 4-4-1 on the season and have one game remaining — at winless River Ridge, another first-year school, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Etowah High’s field in Woodstock. North Murray beat River Ridge 34-6 on Sept. 11.

Way back in the spring, coaches talked among themselves about posting a winning record in the Mountaineers’ first season of competition. There’s a good chance that will happen.

“The coaches and players go on the field every game thinking we’re going to win the game,” Cornelius said. “We haven’t done that, but we’re learning how to win and learning from our mistakes.

“A lot of people in this community are treating this as a varsity program. They have to realize that we’re freshmen and sophomores playing, for the most part, against older teams with juniors and some seniors.”

So between spring practice and the season finale in five days, the Mountaineers will have made huge strides. There are monumental steps yet to take.

For one, the entire North Murray family is eager to leave its present home, the building that formerly housed Bagley Middle School and the Ninth Grade Academy, and move to its brand-new campus next summer. Around that time, the Mountaineers will play their first home game, in their own stadium and on a new field — which is likely to be an artificial surface.

“The administration has bought the idea and we’ve got good bids on the project,” Cornelius said. “It’s about money and I’m willing to do everything I can to get it. The long-term savings will be tremendous. I understand that over a 20-year span, we might save $500,000. Obviously, it’s a huge cost-saving investment.”

Asked to assess the Mountaineers’ first season, Cornelius admitted it was the first time he’d taken time to look back at what happened since he was hired in February.

“Almost everything has been good in our first season, although you don’t really have time to reflect,” he said. “I’m proud of where the kids are at this stage. They never want to lose. What I saw in their eyes (after the loss to Woodland-Bartow) showed me something. They had tears in their eyes because they care about this program.”

Some things Cornelius likes about player performances this season:

• Special teams have been solid. Place-kicker Izzie Hernandez has made three field goals, including 39- and 34-yarders. Edgar Mendez is a threat to put the ball into the end zone on each kickoff. The Mountaineers have recovered six onside kicks.

• Quarterback Brady Swilling has 1,590 yards of total offense and 18 touchdowns, 10 of them on the ground. Combine his rushes (90) and pass completions (74) and Swilling averages 9.7 yards per play. His 60 points leads the Mountaineers and he also averages 34.4 yards on 13 punts.

• John Olinger is the team’s leading receiver, with 26 catches for 279 yards, or an average of 10.7 yards per reception. He has a 30.8-yard average on four kickoff returns. He’s the team’s second-leading scorer.

• Justin Pack averages 24.0 yards per kickoff return and has returned one for a touchdown.

• Austin Carter is the leading tackler, with 35 solo stops heading into the Woodland-Bartow game. Dallas Bowers, who’s next on the list with 28 tackles, has forced four fumbles and recovered four.

“He hits pretty hard,” Cornelius said.

• The defense hasn’t given up a passing touchdown all season.

Obviously, not everything has been rosy. The Mountaineers were thrashed 50-28 by Dade County and gave up three touchdowns in the third quarter.

“That’s the only time I saw the kids with their heads down,” Cornelius said. “I popped a timeout and had a little chat with them. I told them that we’re young, we’ll screw up sometimes and don’t focus on the scoreboard. Focus on executing.”

And as soon as they wrap up the season on Friday, the Mountaineers will shift immediately to the future. Cornelius said his players understand that next season won’t be any easier than this one.

“If they just sit around this offseason and get older, that won’t do anything positive for our program,” he said. “They have to get in the weight room and get bigger and stronger. There are a lot of areas where we have to improve, including the coaches.”

The good thing is that the players and coaches are willing to work hard and not stand pat.

Larry Fleming is sports editor of The Daily Citizen. You can write to him at martykirkland@daltoncitizen.com.