Ridgedale Head Football Coach Corey Chatman Previews the Season

Sports Director Eric Mosley spoke with Head Football Coach Corey Chatman to preview the Rockets season.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Joining me right now is Ridgedale headfootball coach Corey Chapman. Corey got another
year coming up now, year two, I believe, right, Yes,
year two for men. Yeah,so year two, let's talk about just
to start with what you felt aboutlast season, how you felt like it
progressed. I think one thing Inoticed in watching the Rockets numbers weren't high,

(00:23):
but man, they played all fourquarters. So just kind of talk
about what you felt about the progressionof last season. I think you hit
the nail on the point on thecoffin thereof we played all four quarters.
And I told them the kids lastyear it's about competing. Every play is

(00:44):
a new game, win or lose. Let's compete. And you saw that
as the season went on. Likeyou said, our numbers weren't high,
but as the season went on,kids the community toss battle and I think
we got more kids as a resultof it. Was a different, different

(01:07):
feel, and I think the kidsbought in to what we were doing as
a staff and as a program wherewe wanted to go. And I think
that's what you saw in the fieldand last year. One thing that everybody
probably noticed too was that a lotof the younger kids got a chance to
step up and get some experience.Was that big going into this season with

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some of these freshmen and sophomores thatcould step in already know a lot of
what's going on and be able tostep up as starters. Yes, I
think you never want to go intoa season expecting to count on freshmen and
sophomores. But being at a smallschool, everybody has to chip in right

(01:53):
from the beginning. And I thinkthe younger guys from last year, you
see it this year of that experiencethey got on the field last year,
more confidence going into this year.So let's talk about this season. First
off, how are the numbers goinginto the season? Have you you mentioned

(02:15):
that it seems to have grown alittle bit because of some of the success
or what some of these kids mayhave seen that didn't play last year.
So how are the numbers going intothis season? How are you feeling about
that? Numbers are good? Um, I was joking with Sherry our Ad
and some of the parents, likelast summer the non mandatory stuff, we

(02:39):
were maybe twelve thirteen kids showing upto non mandatory. This year we averaged
twenty six kids coming to non mandatorystuff, and I think to have that
when it didn't count and that noone could hold it against you is huge.

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And we go into the season withcounting helmets. We are almost thirty
thirty kids. That's really good.It's a good problem to have, exactly.
So let's talk about the team itselfgoing into this season. You've got
some veterans coming back at at quarterback, in the backfield, all of that.

(03:21):
What are you looking at at leastwith some of those returners, who
are you kind of looking to leanon. I'm gonna lean on all of
them. We only lost four kids, four seniors last year, and everybody
came Everybody came back. It wasa lot of the offensive line that we
lost and one of our speed receivers, but everybody contributed last year. So

(03:49):
our sophomores are juniors. Now they'reseniors and juniors and they have a season
under their belt. Of the offense, the defense, we're not having to
teach as much to them, sowe're able to to speed through and be
efficient with our practices. Have youhad to or maybe just by design,

(04:14):
have some anybody? Have anybody changedpositions or try something new this season that
maybe they're starting in a different positionthis year. Um, Yes and no.
Um. Brandon Townsend, he startedthe season as our backup quarterback last
year and for need he had playedleft tackle for us last year. We

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actually halfway through the season Nathan Thalegot injured, made the transition like now
Brandon, you're taking the rent thehelm at quarterback. So now he's going
in knowing he's a starting quarterback,which allows us to move Nathan Landing Murphy

(05:01):
are running backs. Allowed him tomove to different positions and not be a
have a bulls eye on them becausewe know some of these kids. Other
teams know like, oh, ifhe's here, let's put our focus here.
But with everybody coming back, wehave kids stepping up at all positions

(05:24):
that are now are counted on,and if teams want to focus on certain
kids, we have confidence. Ourquarterback has confidence, offensive coordinator has confidence
that the other kids will step upand do their job. So you talk

(05:45):
about Braden being in at quarterback,what are the strengths that he brings to
that position that this really make itjust a golden hill opportunity for him to
be playing Toughness, He has anarm on him, he can throw and
the big bott of his six twosixty three, has a solid base on

(06:06):
him, doesn't easily go down.I think just a toughness that he brings
because he's a defense end. Hehas that defensive mindset at quarterback of being
hard nosed and everything. And obviouslyin this offense, you like to run
the quarterback as well. But you'vegot you had some pretty good backs last

(06:30):
year, and you mentioned moving NathanThiel from quarterback, so I would imagine
you're going to want to find waysto get Nathan the ball. But who
are all those guys that you feellike can be big contributors in that running
game? Running game? To startwith, we have a junior and a
sophomore coming back from the backfield,Ashton falls and off Our junior started last

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year at running back for US,and we have Michael des who's a sophomore.
They're both big bodies, so betweenthe tackle type guys, and we
have JJ slaughterback Nathan Thial, they'llbe in the backfield as well. We
have a lot of speed. Wehave some freshmen who are might right now

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not be between the tackle type guys, but if they get to the outside,
I don't think anybody's catching them.And the offensive line, you said
that was probably where he had themost losses. What are you thinking of
how that's shaping up this season?Shaping up pretty well. Um, As
you know, every coach probably willsay it, the offense goes as the

(07:43):
offensive line goes, and we actuallyhave we're a young offensive line grade wise.
We don't have any singers on theoffensive line, and I have two
juniors, so we have. Wehad a transfer Michael Justice come in and
sophomore going to play guard for us. A lot of our backups are now

(08:09):
getting put into those starting roles.And we have another sophomore, Brodie Foltz,
who played through injury most of theseason last year until the injury like
ended his season there to spearhead thatoffensive line and lead them. So let's
switch over to defense. Last yearagain, you know a lot of people

(08:33):
coming back from last season. Ithought that in watching the team, you
had some pretty quick linebackers. Youhad some guys that came up and met
the ball right away. Would yousay that might be where the strength lies
this season or are you feeling goodabout just everything overall? I feel good
about everything overall. To your point, the strength of the team I would

(08:54):
say would be defense because all thestarters are back. I think we have
with moving a couple of people around. We have two people who didn't start
last year that are starting this year, but everybody else is is back.

(09:18):
But overall, I think to saythat we're a young team would kind of
be false, right because even thoughwe don't have many singers, we have
a real veteran team. Yeah,you have a lot of experiences. We've
talked about Nathan Theol on offense,but on defense, Nathan was quite an

(09:41):
animal out there. Are you kindof expecting him to be one of those
leaders out there on defense? Yes, yes, I am. He is
a linebacker, safety, play anywhereyou want him to. He's just a
football player, and the size andspeed that he has, he'll get silo
into silent on you. And whoelse do you think will be kind of

(10:05):
stepping up on defense this season?Maybe have a big year. I think
Braden Townsend at d N for us, it's going to have a huge year.
I don't think people, especially withour other d lineman we have,
they're not gonna be able to justdouble him and move the offensive line to

(10:28):
him. You have landed Murphy atthe corner, Logan Raznick at the other
outside linebacker opposite of Nathan Thale.You have JJ slaughterback in the backfield,
I mean a dB safety. He'lldefinitely come up and and hit you.
I feel I got kids galore backthere. We have depth at a lot

(10:54):
of positions where I think that KDaniel will be a safety for us.
The kid can cover some ground.We have linebackers Michael D's Brodie Folds acton
falls and off that will bring thelumber. We have Janye Flemings, He'll

(11:16):
be one of our corners. Athletickid Ajmbody another corner to help lighten the
load for off of the kids.We used to have to put everything on.
So we have those kids now thatwill allow us to rest the kid
when we have to. So,so let's talk a little bit about just

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the injury issue, because one asmall school, it always is something that
you have to be aware of asa coach. How do you try to
approach each week because you want themto be aggressive in practice. You don't
want them to overdo it, butyou want them to at least get a
feel for the hitting. But Iimagine you have to try to balance it
out because it's it's like, Idon't want these guys to get hurt in

(12:05):
practice, don't want them get hurtin the game either, but I want
them to be able to go fullgo in the game. So how do
you approach that each week and justtrying to make sure the aggressiveness stays,
but being aware that you don't wantthem to get injured. That is the
tricky point. Um. Other coachesI've coached with, they've they've laughed at

(12:28):
me sometimes back and when I wasjust assistant coach, certain kids, you
want to give them to Friday,and you do what you have to do
to get them to Friday. Andbeing at a small school, I brought
that with me of like you said, you got to play with you,

(12:50):
you're tight roping that of are youtoo physical or you're not too physical?
But injuries that plays a huge part. One injury could technically affect the season
for a small school like us UM. So we get our we get our
hits in. We get I alwayscall it loosening the pads up, gotta

(13:11):
get them loose, um, butwe we tailor it to where we're not
going I call it. We callit thud. We're not taking you to
the ground. We'll practice tackling andmaking contact, filling holes. But there's
a way to do it. AndI always tell kids, it's not about

(13:37):
today, It's always about getting toFriday. Who can get to Friday with
more kids that are at close tothat's a huge thing. Yeah, yeah,
that's a huge thing. Let's lookat the Northwest Central Conference. Now,
it's a it's a league that topto bottom is always really competitive.

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And I think, you know,Ridgedale last year was one of those teams
that you might end up getting thevictory over him, but man, it
was a battle for most of thegame. Do you feel like that this
Rockets team is definitely ready to stepup and compete for that league title?
And who do you think or theteams that are are right up there to

(14:20):
be able to win the league?Well, I thank you. With this
conference, you have the Waynefield Goshens, the Hardened Northerns, the USVs.
Those have been some of the teamsthat have been at the top of the
league since I've known that Ridgelle's beenin this league. But I think the

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Rockets have always been playing younger guys. We haven't really been a senior led
team, and like you said,we've competed in all our games. It's
just when you have freshmen and sophomoreswho are just now being introduced to the

(15:07):
weight room getting their bodies transformed intostronger kids, you're gonna have those bumps
in the road. I still thinkthose three teams I mentioned are probably favored
by a lot of schools to winthis conference, but I feel the Rockets

(15:28):
we are ready to take that nextstep. I think a lot of the
teams in the conference last year theywere senior lad so they probably have some
questions that we all have going intothe year what type of team we're gonna
have. But I feel the Rocketswe are ready to take that next step.

(15:50):
And I think this year you'll seelooking how the schedule plays out.
If we can stay healthy, Ithink it can be a magical season for
the Rockets. Well, well,thanks for coming in Coach Chapman, and
I really appreciate talking to you,and good luck to the Rockets this season.
Oh thank you so much. GoRockets.