The blind side creates a serious hazard for a quarterback. A split-second can make the difference between six points and a Joe Theisman highlight reel. Fortunately for Richmond Hill High School head football coach Matthew LeZotte, he wasn’t hit with a Lawrence Taylor sack. The blind side hit that Matthew LeZotte took put him back on the gridiron that he loved.
LeZotte has spent his whole life behind center, first playing for Gerald Barnes at Westside High School in Augusta and then playing for Mickey Matthews at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Not only did he find a life-long mentor in Matthews, but he also proudly wears a 2004 FCS National Championship ring as the Dukes’ quarterback.
“I had a great relationship with Mickey Matthews at JMU and believed I could be successful as a JMU graduate,” LeZotte said. “I loved the school and was blown away by everything they had to offer It was that special of a place, so special that my younger brother, Tony, ended up following me there.”
He started selling pharmaceutical products in Asheville, North Carolina, but was constantly going back to JMU because his brother was a defensive back for the Dukes as a freshman during Matt’s senior year. LeZotte was about to be blindsided by a new profession that would put him back on the football field.
“I couldn’t get away from football,” LeZotte said. “I would travel to every home game at JMU to see my brother play. During that time, I had a couple offers to coach small college football. I ended up moving blindly back to Augusta in 2007 and decided to go back to school and become a high school coach. Mickey Matthews, my college head coach, was a huge influence on that decision. I haven’t looked back since.”
The move back to Augusta was a defining point in his early career. LeZotte became head coach at Aquinas, a private school. Season one was 5-5, but then eight and nine wins became standard. In 2013, Aquinas went 14-0, capturing a GHSA State Title. Though LeZotte wasn’t the head coach of record when Aquinas won, he certainly built the foundation of that program, and he is trying to do the same thing at Richmond Hill High School.
For years Richmond Hill was known as a basketball school thanks to Jimmy Hires, who coached the Wildcats to a pair of state titles in the 1990s. However, in the last few seasons, the Wildcats have made some significant movement on the gridiron. In fact, those who watched an amazing victory by Mississippi State over then Top 10 ranked Texas A&M would have seen Nick Fitzgerald, tall as a Georgia pine, leading the Bulldogs. Fans in Starkville readily give this Richmond Hill product more cow bell. Fitzgerald is only one of the many players who have gone on to play at various levels of college football.
“We have started a movement, not just for football, but for Richmond Hill as a whole,” LeZotte said. “#WEareRH is something we came up with to bring the community and school together, working towards creating quality citizens while trying to win some games along the way.”
While the movement allows community participation and buy in from the school, LeZotte knows his goal is to build a self-sustaining football program that is going to be successful regardless of who is at the head.
“I told our administration I do not want to build them a football team; I want to build them a football program,” LeZotte said. “Richmond Hill has had good teams in the past, but the program aspect has not been here.”
LeZotte’s first season was tough because he inherited a team that had been hit hard by graduation, and some players that had not played certain positions were put there because of need. However, just like his program goals, last offseason his players worked hard and came out ready for the 2016 campaign.
“A new region didn’t hurt, I’m quite sure,” LeZotte said. “We are so young it’s hard to determine how good we are. Coming into this season, we knew we were going to struggle in region play with our tiny senior class. We focused on our mental toughness in the offseason. Everything we did was geared towards becoming resilient. We showed it throughout the season with hurricanes, stomach bugs, and a variety of inter-team issues. We have a long way to go, but we are on the right path. Trust the process.”
The Wildcats seemed like they would be more than a flash in the pan when Richmond Hill upset a strong Pierce County team on the road. However, just like every other team in the area, they got hit with Tropical Storm Hermine and a few weeks later Hurricane Matthew. Though the Wildcats made it to the playoffs this season, one of the games that stands out for LeZotte, when his team showed resiliency and mental toughness, was against South Effingham.
“We beat South Effingham after 12 starters had a stomach bug prior to the game,” LeZote said. “A ton of guys went to the hospital. We were pulling guys off the sideline that had never played in a varsity game, and we lucked out and won. It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever experienced, and I do not want to do it again.”
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Matt LeZotte
Richmond Hill High School
Written by: John Wood
Blindsided by the Game
