COLDWATER – It's been nearly two years since the Coldwater High School football program last set foot on the gridiron.
Riding a five-game division winning streak, the Cougars made the 2015 MHSAA Class 1A playoffs only to fall 49-0 at the hands of Delta powerhouse Hollandale-Simmons.
Of course, it was easy to see why the Cougars might have been distracted. True, Simmons did steamroll its way through the playoffs en route to the state title, but earlier that week, it was also announced that CHS would be consolidating with Strayhorn and Independence, thus ending a long history of Cougar athletics.
It's certainly hard for anyone to fully focus with that in mind.
In December of last year, however, things took a different turn. The consolidation was rejected and Coldwater was ordered to stay open and reinstate all athletic and extracurricular activities, sparking a new chapter for the Cougars.
Now, a new face has taken over the program. Former South Panola and Northwest tailback Kory Chapman is leading the revival of the CHS football program and hoping to restore the pride in the team.
"Coaching is something that I have always wanted to do," Chapman said. "I was always good at helping other guys during the season and through my playing career. When I didn't get picked up by another team after Cleveland, I knew that this was going to become my focus for my career."
If there's anyone qualified to lead the restart of a program, it's Chapman.
The Batesville native helped the Rangers to a 21-1 record in 1999-2000 under legendary Northwest coach Bobby Franklin before moving on to Jacksonville State in the early 2000s.
Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens in 2004, Chapman bounced around the NFL with New England, Indianapolis and Cleveland until 2009, even spending the 2005 season in NFL Europe with the Cologne Centurions. He earned two Super Bowl rings, one with the Patriots (XXXIX) and one with the Colts (XLI).
After departing the NFL in 2009, Chapman landed back at Jacksonville State, spending a brief stint on the sidelines as a student coach while working toward his degree. In 2011, he returned to his roots in Panola County, spending one season as the offensive coordinator for North Panola HS before moving on to coach running backs at Pikeville University, an NAIA school in eastern Kentcuky.
In 2016, following a one-year stint at Texas A&M-Commerce, Chapman took a year off from coaching to focus more on his family. After his friend and fellow Panola County native Joseph Lamberth took over as principal at Coldwater, Chapman was encouraged to pursue the task of reviving the football program.
Despite his credentials, it won't be easy relaunching the Cougars' football program. The school was open but without athletics in late November when the new MHSAA realignments were announced, meaning Coldwater will compete as an MHSAA Independent for one, possibly two, seasons. Essentially, the Cougars will operate with a limited slate of games and will not be eligible for postseason competition.
Those factors can make it difficult to keep a team together and motivated, but Chapman still has big plans for the Cougars in the meantime.
"My goal is to uplift these guys," Chapman said. "The first thing that I want the guys to understand is to have fun. After that, I'm going to let them know that if they come out here, do what they're supposed to do and be successful, they will be more prepared for life. It's going to open doors that you never thought could be opened. Some of these guys can use this experience to motivate themselves for basketball season, baseball season, or for college."
Because of the complete rebuilding of the program and Chapman's hiring being approved just a couple weeks ago, analyzing certain players or position areas is next to impossible at this point. The Cougars will have the chance to potentially bring in several athletes from last season's junior high team, but they will be young and unproven coming into this season.
As for the opponents this season, while Chapman and the Cougars certainly wouldn't mind adding a few wins here and there, the focus will be on themselves and the rebuilding effort.
"This is something that is going to take some time," Chapman said. "We're just going to come out here and work on the fundamentals, understanding the game and building for next year. Everything that I do is going to be focused on next year, but this year is about teaching kids the game. There's a lot to this game, but once you learn it, you'll begin to see the benefits and the lessons that come with football."
Coldwater will open the season at Hamilton on Friday Aug. 18, before facing off against H.W. Byers on Aug. 25, in what will be the Cougars' lone home contest this season.
