Turning the spotlight on the assistants

To begin, let me say I overlooked another overtime loss, which makes us (0-5).  It was in 2004 and it came to the Hutto Hippos (38-35).  They were led by a young quarterback Jeremy Kerley (now an NFL star for the New York Jets).  We could not contain him on Yoe Field that night. 

Now let me start a series that covers some excellent assistant football coaches, who coach other varsity sports.  At the top of the list is Ken Poole.  Poole was head basketball coach for the Yoemen for 13 years (1974-1986).  His record was (211-131) with six district championships, four bi-district winners, three area championships and two regional tourney finalist.

But his 13 years of leading the Yoe freshmen (six years) and Yoe JV (seven years) were even more amazing.  His record with the Yoe fish was (33-15-4) and two district championships.  For JV, he was (55-9-2) with six championships.  He had a fantastic four-year run that started in 1981 while the varsity was busy winning their first state title. That year the JV went (10-0) and were never scored on (238-0).  The next year they were (9-0-1), scoring 365 points to only 56.  1983 and 1984 were about the same (8-1-1, scoring 229-50) and another (10-0) record with 196 points to only 50.

On the gym floor, his best five years were 1980 (23-9, district runner-up),  1984 (22-11), losing in area the area finals to Hitchcock in overtime (81-79), 1978 (21-5), losing to Marble Falls in bi-district (63-61), and two regional finals teams in 1975 (21-6), losing to Huffman (58-55) and 1974 (20-5), losing to a state champion Kountze team in a close one.  He had only three losing seasons despite most of those years the Yoe football teams had deep runs in the playoffs.

Some of the great players for Ken Poole over the years were (1974-1975 years) Randy Sapp, Willie Bell, Ronnie (Big John) Bennett, Jafus White, Michael White and David Kornegay, Kenneth Scott, Dennis Hollas and Brian Wilkinson.  From 1976 through 1980 were Troy Daniels, Errol Spells, Greg Kelly, Curtis Wise, Gerry Heitman, Edward Johnson, Terry Lowe, Wayne Steamer, Billy Joe Pittman, Benny Canady, Rufus Floyd, Brent Duncan, Allan Sapp, Billy Lowe, Rod Knight, Sam Ellison, Sloppy Powell, Will Haynes, Jimmy Brown and Ricky Haynes.

From 1981 through 1984 were Andrea Kelley, Mark Heitman, Emory Canady, Earl Melton, Roland Kelley, Gerald Wilkinson, Daryl Duncan, Greg Poole, Lee Hunt, Dexter Smith, Jeff Poole, Rodney Harris and Paul Johnson.

His wife, Linda Poole, was a great educator also.  Greg (his oldest son) was a starter for the 1981 state champs, and is now superintendent for Barbers Hill ISD, a 5A school.  Happy New Year and go Yoe!