Harrisburg (WSIL) --Harrisburg has a new football coach but it's someone the program is familiar with.
Sports Director Jason Hurst goes Beyond the Highlights with the new man in charge of the Bulldogs.
"Definitely a new challenge. It's exciting. As soon as I was informed that it is my spot to hold now, the big challenge of Harrisburg football. I grew up in Marion, grew up under Coach Martin and played against them my hole high school career. They are going to run between the tacles and play smash mouth football and that is how the community has reponded, 'hey when are we going to get back to that style?' and that is the big challenge that was brought forth to me was, this is how we are going to do it."
Matt Griffith is no stranger to the Bulldogs program. Griffith has been with the Bulldogs since 2016, and the Harrisburg history teacher is going to try and bring back the winning style of years past. Smash mouth football starts in the weight room.
"I had to kick them out. They would have stayed here another hour if I let them. They want more of it and that is the old style of Harrisburg of kicking kids out of the weight room. Getting kids off the practice field, because it is an hour after practice and it's time to go home for the day."
There's pressure to win at Harrisburg, but Coach is looking for long term victories as well that go beyond the gridiron.
"The big thing I am looking to do well and we are doing well as a coaching staff, the wins and losses are not the key focal point. What we are trying to produce is a good group of men that are going to be just that, men in the community. Getting them to buy into a culture that is going to grow us into a successful program, not just based on wins and losses."
Griffith knows he needs a buy in from the kids, but this young and wise coach understands the formula.
You have to show the kids you truly care. I can sit there and throw as many x's and o's as I want and show them this is the perfect workout, this is the best way to win a game, but if they don't realize I care about them, then they don't buy in.
There's the old saying, kids don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care.
It also helps that Griffith has been with the program, and the kids understand what he's about.
When I came in and started laying out the groundwork of our philosphy and what we are going to build as a culture, we hit the ground running because we've been preaching that in the weight room already.
Griffith is saying the right things, and it makes sense when you realize he learned from one of the best in Kerry Martin.
Coach Martin has been a huge influence. I've called and told him mutiple times he's the reason I got into teaching. He was my US History and government teacher thats what I teach now and I got into coaching because I saw him as a man of Christ lead us, chalenge us to be men and I said how do I get on board with that. How do I get that job and opportunity so he's been huge for that."
Griffith also has a reuptation for a strong work ethic. It was his M O during his playing days at SIU from 2011 through 2015.
Bill OBoyle was my offensive line coach, he was that old school, rough and tough guy, we are going to get after it and I am going to chew on you and it's going to make you better. Been around Coach Nick Hill for a little bit and getting that younger energy. and show me how a younger man leads in a program, has been huge nd big payoff.
Jason Hurst News 3 Sports
