It’s a dream nearly all coaches entertain at one time or another – having the opportunity to return to his or her alma mater and coach in the same system in which he or she played. For three assistants on this year’s Lowndes Vikings’s staff, that very dream has come true. Brandon Moore, Jermel Demps, and Darriet Perry all played for the Vikings during their run of three state championships in four years (2004, 2005, and 2007). Moore and Demps were members of the 2004 and 2005 teams while Perry played on all three. Each played college football after their championship runs at Lowndes were over – Moore played at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Demps at Carson-Newman University, and Perry at Florida International University. Now they’re back together on the field at Lowndes, showing a new group of Vikings how to forge a championship legacy.
Brandon Moore, who these days teaches at the Horizon Academy, played at Lowndes from 2001-2004. A lineman during those years with the Vikings, he signed with Oklahoma Panhandle State University after graduation and played for two years in Goodwell, Oklahoma before diabetes forced him to prematurely end his playing career. His head coach, the late Mike Wyatt, saw something in Moore that led him to make a unique offer. He asked Moore to help coach the team while he finished his education. Moore accepted and served as an assistant while he was still an undergrad.
Moore coached the offensive line but was considering taking a position with Coach Wyatt in NFL Europe. Then, in late 2010, Coach Wyatt died suddenly of a heart attack. “I looked at that as a sign not to go to Europe. I decided to come back to Lowndes,” he says. Moore returned to Lowndes High in 2010, where he began as a ninth grade coach. Now he coaches the defensive line for the varsity squad. “It’s been great coaching at my alma mater,” he says. “It’s been a blessing playing for the coaches who coached me. I learn something new every day and at every practice,” he comments.
One of the keys to relating to the players is Moore’s age. He’s not that old and it wasn’t that long ago that he was playing in Martin Stadium himself. The current players respect that and enjoy playing for Moore. “I can relate to them differently than the older coaches. I want to make sure they never forget the tradition. If they know the tradition and bring their own personalities to it, there’s nothing they can’t do. I talk to them about how we played, both the mental and physical sides of the game. They’re receptive to the stories about the past. They ask questions every day,” he says.
Jermel Demps was a two-way player on the ’04 and ’05 Vikings. He was one of those players who terrorized opponents as a running back and a defensive back. Following his playing days at Lowndes, Carson-Newman signed him as a defensive back. He was a cornerback all four of his years at Carson-Newman. While he was there, his teams won the conference three times. Demps’s senior year, they advanced to the semi-finals of the playoffs, where they were beaten by Michigan’s Grand Valley State. Demps earned a degree in computer information systems and now teaches driver’s education at Lowndes.
Demps always knew he wanted to coach. Since graduating from Carson-Newman, he’s coached at several different schools in the area, including a one-year stint as defensive coordinator at Pelham. His first coaching job, interestingly enough, was as a ninth grade assistant at Lowndes. Then he took a varsity job at Berrien, followed by Worth County and later Pelham. After just one year as defensive coordinator at Pelham, Lowndes head coach Randy McPherson came calling again. “It was always a goal of mine, to come back to Lowndes. I wanted to be a varsity coach at my alma mater,” states Demps.
When he returned to Lowndes, there was a bit of an adjustment period. “It was weird at first, coaching with my coaches. But I got used to it quickly. A few guys still looked at me as a player and not a coach. Now I fit right in. I know the standards and traditions as a former player. That’s why I’m here – to uphold those traditions,” he says.
Like Coach Moore, he wants to use the winning legacy of the past to motivate the players of today. He says that the kids often ask questions – “Is this how y’all used to do it back then?” When he hears those questions, he’s honest with the players. Demps knows that the kids bring their own talents and attitude to the program. There is, however, a proven formula for success. “We tell them that if they do their job a certain way, there’s a good chance they’ll have success,” he says.
Demps’s primary goal is to reach his players every day. As important as football is, he knows that there is a time limit to everyone’s career on the field. Once a player’s career is over, he needs to take the lessons he learned on the field and apply them to everyday life. “I want to go out and make a difference in someone’s life every day. I want to help these kids become men, fathers, productive citizens. I want them to be great men off the field by teaching them lessons on the field,” he says.
Of the three coaches, Darriet Perry has had the most decorated career, both in high school and college. He was the only player to start on all three state championship teams. A running back, he went to Florida International University where he enjoyed a fantastic four-year career. He was probably a pulled hamstring away from playing in the NFL. While at FIU, Perry rushed for 1,809 yards. He holds the Florida International record with 27 touchdowns. He also has the overall single-game rushing record (186 yards) and the freshman single-game rushing record (117 yards, two touchdowns).
Perry graduated from Florida International in 2012 with a degree in physical education and a minor in criminal justice. After graduation, Perry went to work delivering candy, of all things, in Waycross. Then Coach McPherson gave him a call. “He helped me make up my mind to coach,” says Perry. He left his job in Waycross and took a position with the Lowndes County School System. Officially listed as a community coach, Perry is a paraprofessional at Moulton-Branch Elementary School and coaches running backs for the varsity. He is continuing his education and will soon have a teaching certificate. “This is my first year coaching. It takes a lot to be able to coach a team. When you’re a player, you don’t see the rest of the team, the other guys just jogging around or not understanding the plays. When you’re focused on your job, you don’t understand all that. But as a coach, you see it all. It takes time to get the kids to understand what you want them to do and why you want them to do it,” he says.
One advantage Perry brings to the table is his understanding of the spread offense. The players on this year’s team all grew up on the venerable wing-T offense. This season, under new offensive coordinator Tucker Pruitt, the Vikings have moved to the spread. It’s the same offense that Perry played in at Florida International. He knows the scheme front and back, and he’s been impressed with how the kids have picked up on the new offense. “From week one to where we are now, it’s been a complete turnaround. At first, it was like speaking Spanish to them. They’ve been running the wing-T ever since they were in middle school. But now they understand the spread, know the plays, and respond to it. They understand the game and the playbook. They’re paying attention to the details,” he says.
Even though he’s new to the coaching profession, he has a firm grasp of what he would like to accomplish each time he steps on the field. “I want us to win one game at a time, one practice at a time, one day at a time. If we do that, we’ll have a shot at winning region and making a playoff run to the state title. I would love to coach in a state championship game,” he says.
Coach’s Corner/South Georgia/October 2015
Brandon Moore, Jermel Demps, and Darriet Perry
Lowndes High School
Valdosta, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Photography by Micki K Photography
Trio of Vikings assistants provide link to Lowndes’s past, present
