Stephen Holmes, Manchester head coach
Today’s interviewee is Manchester coach Stephen Holmes, whose team defeated defending Class A Division II champion Bowdon 21-20 last week. It was Manchester’s first victory over a No. 1-ranked opponent since the Blue Devils beat Macon County in 1994. The victory moved Manchester to No. 2 in the rankings. Holmes took the Manchester job in 2021. He had been on Sandy Creek’s staff. Holmes is a former Temple High and Jacksonville State player.
1. What were the key moments in the Bowdon game? What allowed you to pull the game out? “First of all, hats off to Bowdon and coach Rich Fendley. Their record and commitment speak for themselves. The key moment in the game was the first drive of the second half. We were tied 14-14, and we were able to stop them and force them the punt, then answered with a 94-yard TD run [by Keelan Whitaker] to start the second half.”
2. What was the significance of this win? How do your players/staff feel about it? Are they elated about the win, or expecting to win? “This win was important to our team to make a statement about all of the hard work and devotion by our players and coaches since Jan. 1. A lot of our team is returning from 2022 and took some punches last season. Since last December, we have worked tirelessly to improve. Our players are extremely close and are celebrating each other’s successes on the field. They were elated at each other’s plays but are at the point where we expect to be successful. Our staff is extremely proud of our players and have moved on to getting ready for our next game.”
3. What would you want people to know about this year's team? “This year’s team is special because they have a special bond where most of them have played together since rec football and grown up together. Academically, we have 19 players with a 3.5 GPA or higher and 14 others with a 3.0 GPA or higher. This is our third year here, and we have 17 returning starters from last year’s team [that lost to Bowdon 42-21 in the second round]. We work daily to put a physically disciplined football team on the field every Friday night. We work to be explosive and play fast in all three phases of the game.” [The most widely known Manchester player is junior defensive lineman Justus Terry, who is committed to Georgia. RB Quavion Cooper and DB Daryus Bryant also made GHSF Daily’s preseason all-state team.]
4. What attracted you to this job, and did playing for another small-town Georgia team yourself years ago make this job more appealing to you? “Manchester High School is a special place, and Manchester football has a longstanding tradition of putting tough football teams on the field. I coached here nine years ago [on Tanner Glisson’s staff] and absolutely loved the mentality and people here. I came from a great football program and have always been fortunate enough to work for some outstanding coaches that have taught me so much about leadership. Playing high school football at a small high school in a small town is very relatable to coaching in Manchester. In small towns, everybody knows everybody, and this gives us a great deal of support, especially when most of our families played here at Manchester.”