Marc Beach, Lambert head coach
Today’s interviewee is Lambert coach Marc Beach, whose team defeated East Coweta 31-24 last week and is 5-0 for the first time since 2011 and ranked for the first time since 2012. Beach had been Lambert’s offense coordinator since 2020 when promoted this offseason. He was head coach at Seabreeze in Florida from 2001 to 2014.
1. What was the significance of the East Coweta victory? “It gives us a lot of confidence going into region play. We made it like a playoff road game. We left in the middle of the day and did a walk-through at McIntosh High School and ate at a restaurant, which we don’t normally do. Our goal is to be in the playoffs, and if we get a chance to travel, we know we can handle that.” [At 78 miles, the road trip from Forsyth County to Coweta County was Lambert’s longest since 2010, when it went 84 miles to Rome.]
2. What was the difference in the game? “Our defense kept us in the game and made plays when they had to. They had a great quarterback and some good wideouts. Jack Racki made a heck of a play on a screen pass after they’d tied it up 17-17 [and returned it for a touchdown] to make it 24-17, and then our nose guard [Steven Aguilar] ended up picking a batted ball out of the air, and we scored quick to make it 31-17. We got another pick [by Harrison Richards] and had the ball down inside their 3 but turned it over. If we’d punched that in, we would’ve been up three scores, but we have to give East Coweta credit. They didn’t quit and went 96 yards in basically a minute and a half and we had to recover an onside kick.”
3. What stands out to you about this year’s Lambert team? “We have great leadership. We have a leadership council, and we talk every Wednesday about things that need to go on at practice. We have a lot of younger players. Our sophomore class is very talented. We’ve got eight or nine sophomores that get reps and play a bunch. We’re playing two sophomore corners, Cam Bland and Harrison Richard, and they got challenged the week before, and they stepped up. Our senior class just has good leaders. They do a great job.”
4. How do you see Region 6 playing out? “We’re 5-0, but there’s a lot of ahead of us. I believe our region is even and tough. Denmark is on a roll [four-game winning streak after an opening loss], West Forsyth has a heck of a defense and running back. South Forsyth has had our number for the last five years. Milton is playing one of the toughest schedules in the state, so their record [2-3] doesn’t mean anything. Forsyth Central is playing everybody tough. For our team, I ask for three things – to play as hard as you can, play with class and expect to win every play. That’s our motto. We’ve got our work cut out.”