Trojans Rising Junior Draws Comparisons to Famous Father
When it comes to comparing current Brooks County running back Chris Cole Jr. to his father, Chris Cole Sr., the first thing fans think of is “like father, like son,” right?
Not exactly. Not yet, anyway.
“Chris Cole Jr. is a completely different runner than his father,” says the one person who should know better than anyone: Brooks County football coach Maurice Freeman, who has actually coached both father and son.
“Chris Sr. was more of a power runner with a straight-ahead style of running the football, but Chris Jr. runs with a more slashing style when he carries the ball,” Freeman says.
The long-time Brooks County coach spent one season coaching Cole Sr. That was in 1994, during Freeman’s first stint as the Trojans head coach. He remembers hearing how good Cole Sr. was, then saw it for himself when the running back was a senior.
“I knew right away that I needed to give him the ball at least 20 times a game,” Freeman recalls with a chuckle. “He was a very good football player. He was a powerful runner, but he had great speed and vision, too. If he got past the line of scrimmage, chances were pretty good that the defense wasn’t going to catch him. He had all the qualities that the great ones have.”
Cole Jr. will be a junior next season, and Freeman says he has great potential. But to those Brooks County fans who want to compare the son to his dad, Freeman says not yet.
“Chris (Jr.) is still developing, and he’s going to be a good running back, no question about that,” Freeman explains. “But he’s still growing and maturing, and he has a different running style than his dad.”
That may be the case, but the younger Cole has expectations of not only being good like his father, but being an even better player.
“When I first met Chris (Jr.) in the sixth-grade, I started teasing him that he wasn’t as good as his father in hopes of making him better than his dad,” Freeman says. “Chris said he was going to be better than his dad.”
Freeman says anytime you a player is compared to the father who preceded him on the gridiron, especially at the same school, it’s going to be a challenge.
“It’s always going to be tough when everyone is making those comparisons just because the son carries the name of his father,” Freeman says.
In the case of the Coles, Cole Sr. rushed for 6,155 yards during his career at Brooks County from 1991-1994. He led the Trojans to the GHSA Class A state title in his senior season, and he was the school’s all-time rushing leader until Omari Arnold broke the record with a career mark of 6,558 yards rushing.
Cole Sr. went on to play at Fort Valley State University. His son is just now starting to come into his own as a go-to running back for Brooks County, with last season being his first as the feature back. He had a breakout performance against Early County, rushing 15 times for 115 yards and two TDs. Freeman says this offseason is going to be very important in the development of Cole Jr.
“Chris (Jr.) has a chance to be really good,” Freeman says. “He has great vision, and he just needs now to continue to develop. That’s why this offseason is extremely important for him.”
Does the Trojans head coach feel like Cole Jr. can be as good as his father?
“I can’t wait to have this conversation again in two more years,” Freeman says.
We’ll certainly keep you posted.
