‘I’m not ready for it to be over.’ Phil Strickland enjoying final season as coach
Phil Strickland emerged from Newberry High School’s locker room Monday, wearing shorts and carrying a notebook pad as he prepared to step on Mike Ware Field for practice on a late November afternoon.
Strickland is no stranger to having his football teams practicing on Thanksgiving weekend during his 40-year coaching career. But this season’s run carries a little extra meaning because it will be Strickland’s last.
He announced in July that he would be calling it quits after 40 years as coach, 34 as head coach in South Carolina.
His Newberry squad faces Gray Collegiate on Friday at Fairfield Central in the Class 2A Upper State championship game. The winner moves on to the state title game Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at Benedict College.
Strickland has made 10 state championship appearances as a head coach, winning five of them combined at Gaffney and Batesburg-Leesville. He led Newberry to back-to-back appearances in 2015-16 and lost to Dillon both times.
“It is special,” Strickland said. “I told the kids I always heard if you aren’t practicing on Thanksgiving weekend you aren’t a good football team. Maybe we are a very good team.”
Win or lose, it’s a nice ending to the script for one of the state’s all-time winningest coaches. Strickland considered retiring last year but had second thoughts because of the COVID-shortened season. Newberry played just five games, winning three, and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Chesnee in 2020.
This year, Newberry started 2-4 against a tough non-region schedule before winning five of its last six games. The Bulldogs won two of their three playoff games on the road, including last week’s 26-24 victory over Christ Church.
“We moved kids around, got some kids healthy, kids starting to believe within themselves and made us a better football team,” Strickland said. “The kids are working hard, I’m proud of them. Coaches are working hard. It has been a pleasurable year. Even though all this stuff (COVID) is going on, it is not as bad as it was last year. ... I’m not ready for it to be over.”
Strickland’s players aren’t ready for it to be over and want to send the long-time coach out on top.
“Glad we’re getting a long run for him in his last season,” Newberry receiver Zack Chalmers said. “Really trying to get him another one under his belt and bring one to the ’Berry, which has never been done.
“A lot of people didn’t believe in us and didn’t think we would even make the playoffs because of the way the season started. A lot of people still don’t believe in us.”
This will be the second meeting of the season between Gray and Newberry, which both play in Region 3-2A. Gray Collegiate won 56-29 on Oct. 29. Gray running back KZ Adams rushed for 316 yards and six touchdowns in the victory. Adams, the Mr. Football finalist, has rushed for 2,770 yards and 35 touchdowns this season.
“He is as good as I have seen in high school, and I have seen a lot of good baacks. He ranks up there with some of the best players I have seen,” Strickland said of Adams. “I compare him to Barry Sanders. I saw some clips on him when he was in high school. KZ isn’t quite as big but he is looking for that third cut when he is making that first one.
“... They are a very good football team and we knew that four weeks ago when we played them. We are going to have to play an all-out game. We didn’t back away from them last time and we came short. We aren’t going to not back down this time. They are going to have to beat us.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
