Dale County High School
Co. Rd. 59
Midland City, AL 36350
warriors
In The News
Brandon Anderson & Connor Hamilton signing day!
Congratulations and best of luck next season at Bethel!
Click on the above for a link
to a pre season press conference with Coach Harrison.
Prep football notebook:
New Dale County coach setting the tone
By: Jon Johnson | Dothan Eagle
Published: July 19, 2012 Updated: July 19, 2012 - 10:40 PM
New Dale County football coach Pate Harrison still hasn’t met with his entire team.
“They are kind of scattered,” Harrison said. “I’m still making phone calls to get people who played last year and in the spring to get in here.”
But Harrison, who just took the job early last week, does have a simple message for his soon-to-be players.
“Get to work,” Harrison said.
Harrison replaces Jeff Torrence, who left after one year as head coach of the Warriors to take an assistant principal job at Coppinville Junior High in Enterprise.
Harrison and other football coaches from the area took part in a Coaches Day golf tournament and Media Day sponsored by Southern Bone & Joint Specialists at Highland Oaks on Thursday.
Harrison, who will also serve as Dale County’s athletics director, spent last season at Goshen as defensive coordinator.
While he hasn’t had an opportunity to meet with the Warriors as a full group
yet, Harrison and his eight assistants have been plenty busy setting the tone for the type work ethic he expects.
“It’s been basically a cleaning process,” Harrison said. “We’ve ripped out the coach’s office – we’ve got new paint on the walls, new desks. We’re trying to instill a sense of pride.
“I know some people say that’s not necessary, but we’re started off showing the kids how we believe things should be done.
“We have to get past that losing mentality.”
Dale County was 1-9 a year ago.
Harrison hired as DC football, boys basketball head coach
By: David Mundee | Dothan Eagle
Published: July 10, 2012 Updated: July 10, 2012 - 10:47 PM
A month after losing a pair of head coaches, Dale County turned to one person to fill both voids.
Pate Harrison, a football defensive coordinator, baseball coach and head basketball coach last year at Goshen, was hired as head football coach and head boys basketball coach at Dale County, following approval by the Dale County Board of Education during a meeting Tuesday night.
Harrison will also be the Warriors’ new athletic director.
He replaces Jeff Torrence as the head football coach/athletic director and Chad McKnight as boys basketball coach. Torrence left to become assistant principal at Coppinville Junior High in Enterprise and McKnight took the girls basketball head coaching job at Samson.
“I am just excited,” Harrison said of taking over at Dale County. “I am excited and ready to get with some fresh faces and try to get to know them, which I have already started. I want to help this program become successful.”
Harrison was at Goshen for the last three years. He served all three years as defensive coordinator and head baseball coach. He was the head basketball coach just one year – that coming this past season when he directed the Eagles to a 12-9 record.
Hired less than four weeks from the start of football practice (Aug. 6) and the first game barely more than seven weeks away (Aug. 31), Harrison knows he has to hit the ground running – and in a hurry.
“We haven’t even played a seven-on-seven like other schools, so we haven’t developed much timing or anything like that,” Harrison said. “We have to get in there right now and start working.”
As a result, Harrison said he and his new staff – which will feature as many as five new faces too, including himself – won’t have the luxury of much experimenting. They will have to adjust on the fly.
“There is not much time for a learning curve,” Harrison said. “We are behind the 8-ball, so we don’t have time to tinker or try this or that.”
Among his missions is to round up players who dropped out after Torrence’s departure, a task that isn’t helped by school not starting until Aug. 20 – just four days before a jamboree at home against Opp.
“We can’t grab them out of the hallways,” Harrison said. “We have to get the word out that we are starting and that we have workouts right away. We have to have the kids talk to their friends to help us out.”
From a philosophy standpoint, Harrison said he plans to lean on his roots of defense.
“I have always been a defensive guy,” Harrison said. “We will start everything with defense. I like to run multiple defensive schemes. Offensively, I have been part of everything from the spread to the wishbone, but it will depend on what the kids’ abilities are and what suits them best.”
While his focus right now is on football, he is also looking ahead to basketball.
“Fortunately, Chad (McKnight) is very organized person, so everything is set up good and it will make the transition a little easier,” Harrison said. “I plan to meet with those kids next week and have them shoot around a little bit and to get to know them.”
Harrison played at New Brockton High School as a fullback and linebacker for the Gamecocks’ football team. After graduating in 2000, he played at Troy University under Larry Blakeney for three seasons as a long snapper and a fullback, earning a varsity letter in 2001.
After completing his studies atTroy, he began his coaching career at Samson, where he was defensive coordinator in football and the head boys basketball coach. He was in Samson for three years before going toGoshen.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome coach Harrison and his family to Dale County,” Dale County principal Dr. Patrick Cain said in a press release to the Dothan Eagle. “His success as a coach is documented.
“Beyond his achievements on the football field and basketball court, I believe it was important to find a leader that will not only get the best out of his players, but also develop the kind of culture that fits all athletics of Dale County High School. We are anxious for our players and fans to get to know him in the coming days and years.”
Harrison has already established a coaching staff with Don Moore (Pike County), Will Pouncey (Elba) and Judson Hendricks (Slocomb) all joining the staff, which will also likely include Dale County coaching members Judson Campbell, Al Gilmore and Wesley Locke.
Harrison’s hiring as head football coach marked the 17th coaching change among the 39 Dothan Eagle’s Alabama high school football programs since the end of last season – a 44.0 percent turnover.
-----------------2011---------------------
101 Schools Recognized For sportsmanship
5 Schools Go Four Straight Years Without Any Fines Or Ejections
Five high schools were recognized for the fourth consecutive year Wednesday by the Alabama High School Athletic Association at the Star Sportsmanship Luncheon at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Convention Center.
The luncheon, annually a highlight of All-Star Sports Week, recognized AHSAA member high schools that complete the school year with no fines or ejections. A total of 101 schools were fine and ejection free in the 2010-11 school year.
The five--Alabama School for the Blind, Athens Bible, Covenant Christian, Linden and Westminster of Oak Mountain, have been fine and ejection free all four years the AHSAA has recognized schools for this accomplishment.
Another 34 were recognized for reaching that goal for the first time in 2010-11. This brings the total to 259 schools since 2007-08 that have been presented banners provided by Learning Through Sports, the company that developed the STAR Sportsmanship program required of all student-athletes and coaches in the AHSAA.
Another 38 schools have been fine and ejection free a total of three times in the last four years.
Eight schools, one from each of the AHSAA’s districts, were selected by al.com to receive $1,000 grants for their outstanding sportsmanship. They included: McIntosh (District 1), Dale County (District 2), Selma (District 3), Horseshoe Bend (District 4), Carver-Birmingham (District 5), Childersburg (District 6), Hamilton (District 7) and Skyline (District 8).
Retiring Boaz High School principal Lowell Smith addressed the group at the luncheon. His school has been assessed only one fine and has had no ejections since 2007.
The complete list of schools recognized at the luncheon hosted by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association are:
Class 1A
Addison, Akron Community School, Alabama School for Blind, Athens Bible,
Belgreen, Covenant Christian, Decatur Heritage, Faith Christian, Gaston, Gaylesville, Holy Family Catholic, Hubbertville, Jacksonville Christian, Jefferson Christian, Keith, Linden, Marion County, McIntosh, Paint Rock Valley, Sacred Heart Catholic, Saint Bernard Prep, J.F. Shields, Skyline, South Lamar, Spring Garden, Sweet Water, Tharptown, Westminster of Oak Mountain, Woodville.
Class 2A
Cold Springs, Cottonwood, Flomaton, Francis Marion, G.W. Long, Highland Home, Horseshoe Bend, Houston County, LaFayette, Lexington, Mars Hill Bible, Mobile Christian, New Brockton, Oakman, Phil Campbell, Providence Christian, Tanner, Westbrook Christian.
Class 3A
Alabama School of Math & Science, Ashville, Bayside Academy, Carbon Hill,
Clements, Colbert Heights, Dale County, Elkmont, Gordo, Hale County, Hamilton, Handley, Holly Pond, Opp, J.B. Pennington, Randolph, Sipsey Valley, Susan Moore, Trinity Presbyterian, West Limestone, Winfield, Winston County.
Class 4A
Alexandria, Anniston, Ardmore, Brooks, Childersburg, Corner, Deshler, East Lawrence, Good Hope, Guntersville, Lincoln, North Jackson, Oneonta, Rogers, Southside-Selma, Springville.
Class 5A
Brookwood, Charles Henderson, Greenville, Pleasant Grove, Saint Paul's Episcopal, Selma.
Class 6A
Alma Bryant, Carver-Birmingham, Grissom, Hoover, Huffman, Oak Mountain, Shades Valley, Stanhope Elmore.
http://ahsaa.com/AHSAA/News/101SchoolsRecognizedForSportsmanship/tabid/3534/Default.aspx
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Dale County High School
Co. Rd. 59
Midland City, AL 36350
warriors
