Reflection On the Whitney Keeling Years

[Wild74]

Reflection On the Whitney Keeling Years

 

The year was 2010 and Waskom was coming off a dismal 0-10 Football season and a change of coaching was coming our way. Speculation was everywhere, people was wondering who would come to a town where the football program was in disarray and missing the playoffs for 17 years and that was with the 3-team playoff format. Waskom didn’t pay enough for a really big-name football coach so it was going to be a crap shoot anyway you looked at it. Word finally got out and the new coach was going to be Whitney Keeling, never heard of him, but then again, I have never heard of a lot of people and then I heard he was a soccer coach and I thought what is Jimmy Cox and the board thinking. After reflecting on things someone has to coach soccer and usually a football coach is assigned that position long with coaching football. Again, Waskom was going to get an assistant coach but what the heck maybe we will hit pay dirt. Whitney got to bring in a new OC and DC in Kubiak and Pearson so maybe the fresh blood would change attitudes of the kids, first year we went 3-7 lot better than 0-10. Next year we broke out of the gate going 5-0 and I said look out but we lost the next 5 and went 5-5 but we did play EF close and that means something. Next year the numbers in the program were growing and we had another good year going 7-3 but had a illegal player and had to forfeit the 7 wins but then again we had some really good 10^th and 11^th graders and I was thinking we might be pretty good if everything works out. 2013 saw Waskom come out slaughtering everyone, I said Hey this new flexbone offense is hard to stop when it is ran right. Waskom slaughter EF and was 9-0 going into the game with Hughes Springs which was also 9-0, I was worried looking for the bitter seed of defeat to fall but it never did as we put a whipping on HS also to take our first district crown since 1987. The excitement of going to the playoffs had rejuvenated the community and the football program, we slaughtered Union Grove 56-17 2^nd round beat Rosebud Lott 53-37 3^rd round we beat Crawford 33-14. Everyone was celebrating the fact we had never gone this far in the playoffs and we had 14-0 Corrigan Camden to beat for the regional Title. The game was nip and tuck until the very end when Waskom stopped CC on a two-point conversion to win the game 22-20. It was so cold it started snowing at the end of the game as Waskom was headed to the State Semi-Final game against Refugio. The excitement to be going to Houston to play on the big stage with the winner going to Arlington and Waskom first chance at a state championship, Waskom got out to a 14-0 lead and I thought here we come Arlington, but I would have to wait as a seasoned Refugio team came back and tore us up with the spread offense. Whitney had given us a little taste and even though we lost the taste was there plus we had almost every player coming back next year. The story doesn’t end there but mine does as history will tell you Waskom had become a much respected football school which teams no longer lined up for their homecoming game, with Whitney at the helm Waskom would win two state titles and go to 5 semi-finals. I thank Whitney and the coaches who coached under him for the best 12 years a coach ever had at Waskom and I was lucky to go along for the ride. I wish Whitney, Kubiak the best as they move on to a new adventure in football and look forward to a new adventure myself as Waskom brings on a new AD and coaches. Here to you Whitney, thanks for the memories, 

PS I have enough hoodies to last a lifetime

                                                                                                                                                                                   Ken

[quickshot]

52 minutes ago, Wild74 said:

Reflection On the Whitney Keeling Years

 

The year was 2010 and Waskom was coming off a dismal 0-10 Football season and a change of coaching was coming our way. Speculation was everywhere, people was wondering who would come to a town where the football program was in disarray and missing the playoffs for 17 years and that was with the 3-team playoff format. Waskom didn’t pay enough for a really big-name football coach so it was going to be a crap shoot anyway you looked at it. Word finally got out and the new coach was going to be Whitney Keeling, never heard of him, but then again, I have never heard of a lot of people and then I heard he was a soccer coach and I thought what is Jimmy Cox and the board thinking. After reflecting on things someone has to coach soccer and usually a football coach is assigned that position long with coaching football. Again, Waskom was going to get an assistant coach but what the heck maybe we will hit pay dirt. Whitney got to bring in a new OC and DC in Kubiak and Pearson so maybe the fresh blood would change attitudes of the kids, first year we went 3-7 lot better than 0-10. Next year we broke out of the gate going 5-0 and I said look out but we lost the next 5 and went 5-5 but we did play EF close and that means something. Next year the numbers in the program were growing and we had another good year going 7-3 but had a illegal player and had to forfeit the 7 wins but then again we had some really good 10^th and 11^th graders and I was thinking we might be pretty good if everything works out. 2013 saw Waskom come out slaughtering everyone, I said Hey this new flexbone offense is hard to stop when it is ran right. Waskom slaughter EF and was 9-0 going into the game with Hughes Springs which was also 9-0, I was worried looking for the bitter seed of defeat to fall but it never did as we put a whipping on HS also to take our first district crown since 1987. The excitement of going to the playoffs had rejuvenated the community and the football program, we slaughtered Union Grove 56-17 2^nd round beat Rosebud Lott 53-37 3^rd round we beat Crawford 33-14. Everyone was celebrating the fact we had never gone this far in the playoffs and we had 14-0 Corrigan Camden to beat for the regional Title. The game was nip and tuck until the very end when Waskom stopped CC on a two-point conversion to win the game 22-20. It was so cold it started snowing at the end of the game as Waskom was headed to the State Semi-Final game against Refugio. The excitement to be going to Houston to play on the big stage with the winner going to Arlington and Waskom first chance at a state championship, Waskom got out to a 14-0 lead and I thought here we come Arlington, but I would have to wait as a seasoned Refugio team came back and tore us up with the spread offense. Whitney had given us a little taste and even though we lost the taste was there plus we had almost every player coming back next year. The story doesn’t end there but mine does as history will tell you Waskom had become a much respected football school which teams no longer lined up for their homecoming game, with Whitney at the helm Waskom would win two state titles and go to 5 semi-finals. I thank Whitney and the coaches who coached under him for the best 12 years a coach ever had at Waskom and I was lucky to go along for the ride. I wish Whitney, Kubiak the best as they move on to a new adventure in football and look forward to a new adventure myself as Waskom brings on a new AD and coaches. Here to you Whitney, thanks for the memories, 

PS I have enough hoodies to last a lifetime

                                                                                                                                                                                   Ken

I definitely appreciate the great ride we have had! Thank you sir for what you an ur team of coaches has done for us!   We have great talent coming up hope the next guy will know how to use them like Keeling an company has! 

[PeepawTatum]

Nice Write up Wild74! 

[Eagle8]

Nice words, sir. He's a great coach. He put Waskom on the map and filling the vacancy with a great new young name should be easy with the tradition he has instilled into the program. 

[nationalpastime]

15 hours ago, Eagle8 said:

Nice words, sir. He's a great coach. He put Waskom on the map and filling the vacancy with a great new young name should be easy with the tradition he has instilled into the program. 

I agree with that.

I just hope the community is able to rally around whoever the new guy is because there are a ton of Keeling fans out there.