Eagles ready to fly under Smith

By RORY FAUST  Sun Sports Staff   Friday, August 29, 2008   

Jeremiah Smith realizes that an Eagle can't fly if its wings are clipped.

So when the rookie coach landed the Flagstaff High School football job last month, his first order of business was to give the Eagles a chance to fly by putting eagle wings back on the team's helmets. The gesture may be figurative, but for Smith it was the first step in returning the pride and tradition to FHS's storied football program.

"That was the first thing that I set in place when I became head coach," said Smith, who took over when Pat Harlow stepped down last month. "I didn't realize how important those things were to the kids until they didn't have them last year. I just want to try to bring back a little tradition, bring back a little pride, to the program."

Smith didn't attend FHS -- he's from a small town in Wyoming -- but he's developed a strong respect for the program's history after serving as an assistant coach for the past five seasons. He's well aware of the Rick Smith-led powerhouses of the early 1980s and the impressive stretch of Grand Canyon Region titles Craig Holland strung together last decade.

Jeremiah Smith aspires to return the Eagles to prominence again, and he expects the turnaround to begin immediately. That would be a monumental task, considering he inherits a young team that has had three head coaches in the past year, but Smith is interested in results, not potential excuses.

"People aren't really expecting us to do a lot," he said. "I'm hoping to surprise the world. "I don't want to let anyone down ... I just want to try to keep the tradition alive," he added. "I want to build that powerhouse we had in the early '80s."

He'll take the first step Saturday night, when the Eagles host Phoenix Moon Valley in the final game of the Kick-Off Classic at NAU's Skydome. FHS beat the Rockets 33-23 in last season's opener.  With seven other games preceding the Eagles' opener, there will be plenty of time for the proverbial butterflies to build in the stomachs of the FHS players and their new coach. But Smith is certain the final outcome won't reflect his pregame disposition.

"I really haven't thought about it too much but I bet you any money I'll probably be nervous just because it's you on the line right there," said Smith, who runs an amateur football team called the Flagstaff Hitmen. "I know as soon as the ball kicks off I'll be ready to go. I'll get into my zone, it may take me a while to get into my play-call mode but as soon as I get into it I think it will be something special."

Smith's meandering journey to the rank of head coach began in 2003 when Holland hired him as a volunteer assistant. He was promoted to junior varsity offensive coordinator the following year and then served as the JV head coach from 2005-06.  He became the varsity squad's offensive coordinator when former coach Erik Affholter left midway through last season, and put his name in for the head job when Harlow resigned in July. 

Instead of becoming jaded by all the changes, the FHS players have embraced their new mentor.
"It's been goofy, the three coaches we've had, but he's been here for a long time and we've all played for him so we're all behind him," said senior lineman Skylar Pond, who played under Smith at the JV level. "We know him. We know how he is as a coach and we trust him."

Smith realized he had to win the trust of his players before he could turn the program around. He believes he's been successful in the first venture, and the next step isn't far behind.  "It was kind of an attitude adjustment for some of them at first, just so they know I'm in it for the long haul ... I'm going to be here, I'm not going anywhere," he said. "They bought into the system, they bought into the program, and each and every one of them are selling out on everything they have to do."

Rory Faust can be reached at rfaust@azdailysun.com or 556-2257.