Kevin Smith, Perry head coach
Today’s interviewee is Perry coach Kevin Smith, whose team defeated Starr’s Mill 28-24 in the Class 4A semifinals last week and will play Stockbridge for the championship on Tuesday. Perry, which started football in 1954, is in the finals for the first time. Smith became Perry’s coach in 2017. He led Perry to its first region title in 61 years in 2020 and its first 10-win season in 2021.
1. What has making the state finals meant to the school and community? Who are some people you've heard from to congratulate you? “Reaching the state championship game has been a long time coming for the Perry community. They have lived in the shadows of other county schools winning and playing for numerous championships [particularly Warner Robins and Northside]. Argene Claxton, a longtime agriculture teacher who taught for 30-plus years, told us he had been waiting 40 years for the Panthers to play for a state championship. Board member and former head coach Dave Crockett and retired coach and our historian Dickey Erwin along with retired state representative Larry Walker and current senator Larry Walker III have all reached out. There have been so many – our superintendent, Mark Scott, assistant superintendent Dr. Ricky Rodgers and Dr. Chris Brown along with principal Del Martin and A.D. Dr. Arthur Billings, and my mentor, Conrad Nix, legendary coach at Northside High School, along with many former players coaches and friends. I am so grateful and humbled.”
2. You've had a couple of tight playoff victories. In the Starr's Mill game, what was the most important play or moment? “In the fourth quarter of the Starr’s Mill game, we were down four points. We just forced them to punt, and they pinned us on the 1-yard line. We had to overcome third-and-8 and third-and-9 a couple of times before Colter Ginn hit Kory Pettigrew for a 61-yard touchdown that gave us the lead for good. Our defense then had to overcome a couple of penalties that kept Starr’s Mill’s last drive alive. Starr’s Mill was deep in our territory, and Tavares Simmons, a senior cornerback, had two pass breakups and then came up to tackle their running back in the flats for a game-saving touchdown. We then ran out the clock.”
3. You've had some teams in recent years that might've gotten through to the final with a little more luck. What has been the difference in this year's team? “We had some good teams that were good enough to win it but couldn’t get it done. I have said from the offseason until now that this team is special. They are different than the teams in the past. They have a ‘get to’ mentality instead of ‘got to.’ They love each other and do not want to let each other down.”
4. What did you see in the Perry job, and who were the most important mentors that you've had? “Life-long dream to be a head football coach. I had been in the county for 24 years at the time [part of the 2006 and 2007 state championship teams at Northside; also coached at Houston County], and Perry always had athletes and had their own stadium. Houston County is a great place to raise a family, and my wife worked in the system. It was a perfect fit. For mentors, Larry Prather, position coach in high school, inspired me to be a coach. Rob Ridings, another high school coach, helped me get my first job. They both taught me work ethic, commitment and sacrifice. Coach Conrad Nix [who won 241 games in 24 seasons as Northside’s coach] had a major impact on me as a coach. He showed me the formula to build a state championship team. He taught me how to treat and care for people from coaches to players. He also taught me that football is a platform to build young men spiritually, mentally and physically.”
