Jim Corkum stood at a distance and watched the scene unfold in front of him.
On the hot, muggy summer day, the first-year head coach wearing a white T-shirt that brazed “Concord Football” in crimson, wiped the beads of sweat from his brow and blew into the whistle that hung loosely between his lips.
The brownish-green fields at Rundlett Middle School were occupied by football players – both varsity and freshmen teams – learning the ins-and-outs of the revamped playbook.
He began to give instruction to one of his starting running backs on how to read the block in front of him. Surrounding players threw their heads back in an attempt to drain the sweat from their helmets while they waited for the next play.
Corkum stepped back from the players and heard a familiar noise in the background. The giggling of two girls.
His girls.
“Daddy! Daddy!” they chanted. With 20 minutes left in practice, you’d expect most coaches to brush off the excitement and focus on the task at hand.
Corkum, however, welcomed his daughters and scooped both of them up to give them a hug.
“I didn’t quite know they were coming,” he said. “(Because it’s hot) They’ve been talking about bringing something for the boys since they’re worried about them, so they brought them a couple coolers of ice cream.”
Several of the players sprinted over toward the coolers after Corkum’s post-practice assessment. Ice cream sandwiches and having the family show up at practice are things that Corkum runs toward, not away from.
Family and the city of Concord are central to his identity. He’s a proud product of the town. He was raised here, he learned life lessons here and now he’s here paying it forward as both the assistant principal and coach at the same school he went to.
One of the most integral parts of his Concord identity is his ability to resonate with his players on a deeper level than most coaches can say.
There’s no special formula behind it – he’s a former football player for the Crimson Tide.
He’s been through those hot two-a-day practices at the fields. He’s been there for wins and for losses. But more importantly, he’s gone through the similar challenges of being a high school football player.
That commonality has resonated within all his players and allows for them to buy into his message with ease.
“He knows what we go through,” said senior captain and defensive back Kaevryel Madison. “He knows how it should be done and we’ve been getting it done.”
One of the challenges for this year’s Concord program is reshaping its identity. There are plenty of buzz words in football – grit, passion, determination, heart, to name a few. You can add toughness to the list as the team looks to rebound from an 0-5 season.
“Tough players on and off the field, physically and mentally, that’s what we’re trying to be,” senior Hunter Jeffers said. “We’re going to be the toughest around.”
In Jeffers’ eyes, toughness is having the innate ability to keep playing the game no matter the situation. Concord could be up three touchdowns or down three points and that toughness, in theory, would remain intact.
The 6-foot, 1-inch 285-pound offensive lineman is one of three captains for the Crimson Tide this year and his leadership style shows on the field. Whether it’s plowing over opposing defensive linemen on a run block or putting himself through pass blocking drills while the second team gets some reps at practice, he’s one of the undoubted leaders for Concord.
He’ll be paving the way for fellow senior captain in running back Kody Rashed. One of the biggest skill players on the team, at 6-1 and nearing 200 pounds, Rashed has the skills to run over someone, but also make cuts on the field.
One of the noticeable changes in the revamped offense, favorable in Rashed’s eyes, rather than having an every down back, there’s a stable of ball carriers that the Crimson Tide can utilize.
That stable of running backs is toughness in motion. When looking at the big picture, Corkum knew he had to get bare bones with his team. The fundamentals of the game were something he felt needed to return for Concord.
High-flying spread offenses with layers of passing trees and route combinations are the craze in football right now, but that return to fundamentals means a now relic style of offense will take the field this year for the Crimson Tide.
Under center.
“I think we’ve got the personnel that’s suited for it,” Corkum said. “You’ll never hear me say this is a rebuilding year because there’s no time for the seniors for a rebuilding year. It’s now, (success) needs to happen right now.”
For players like Jeffers and Rashed, a retro offense is preferred as it allows them to do what they do best while at a simple level.
“Blocking wise, it’s different,” Jeffers said. “I think the team as a whole likes it better. We feel more comfortable with it and it fits our identity more.”
“They pull what we do best and we can use it to our advantage,” Rashed said. “The ball is being shared a lot, we’ve got a bunch of good kids back there.”
Aside from Rashed, the Crimson Tide’s roster lists nine other players as running back. While it’s unlikely that all nine will see the field in a given game, the depth will be crucial as the season goes on.
The pilot of the offense once again will be quarterback Zack Doward. A 6-foot, 185-pound junior, Doward is entrusted with running the show as a returning starter. Even though it’s a new system, Corkum is pleased to have familiarity on the field.
“That field presence and seeing the speed of a varsity game, I think is huge,” Corkum said.
With key parts returning across the board for the Crimson Tide, plus the benefit of a mostly normal preseason, they have a chance of making 2021 a special season.
The playbooks have been studied, the weights have been lifted, the film has been watched. There are no more speeches to be had and another rep in practice.
A new season starts Friday at 7 p.m. at Memorial Field, and all the work Concord has achieved will be put to the test under the lights against Spaulding in the season opener.
“These kids have been showing up every day and they’ve been working hard,” Corkum said. “They deserve to have some success that comes to them this year. They’re going to have to earn it.”
When that success comes this season the spoils might include high-fives in the hallways from friends, recognition across town and praise from former members of the program.
And maybe some more ice cream sandwiches, too.