The Rise of Richardson High

It all started in early August. It was in Richardson, Georgia, at Richardson High School. The Wolves, their football team, had been successful years ago, but the team they used to know was gone, replaced by inexperienced young men. In the previous year, the Richardson Wolves had gone 5-6, and most of the teams they had faced were also terrible. It seemed that their coach, Chuck Martin, was at the last of his career at Richardson, or any other school for that matter.

However, what most people didn’t know was that Coach Martin was preparing to change the entire strategy of the Wolves’ football team. His assistant, Larry Stewart, had just walked into Martin’s office, with a disappointed look on his face.

“Coach, we need a new strategy, and we need it fast,” Stewart said, “The board is considering to get rid of the whole staff.”

“I know, I know,” Martin responded, “But I’ve been changing the playbooks almost every year, and it hasn’t worked. What can I do?” Then, he had a sudden thought. “ Maybe it’s not the playbooks I need to change, but the players’ enthusiasm.”

“Well, good luck with that,” Stewart said, shaking his head amusingly. As he left the hallway, he kept on saying, “I need to fire up my resume!” Stewart, however, didn’t even think about his job being risked when he got a phone call from his boss.

“Larry,” Martin said, in an excited voice, “Good news. You know David Harry, Parklake’s star quarterback. Call me crazy, but for some reason, his father got a new job here in Richardson. He’s coming to Richardson High!”



Football camp wasn’t very enthusiastic, even with David Harry on the squad. Coach Martin had been expecting that, but what he didn’t expect was the sudden change in mood that the players would have shortly.

“Gentlemen,” Coach said, “You are hear for the same cause, to play football. But here’s what I’m here to do, to coach you. However, not only am I here to coach you, but also I am here to turn you into men. Football is a sport that teaches you the game of life. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. You learn more when you lose than when you win.”

“The last few years, the Richardson Wolves have been at their worst in school history. In a combined five years, our record is only 28-27, and we haven’t been in the playoffs for seven years. I’ve changed the playbooks, and we still were not clicking. Just a couple of days ago, I was sitting in my office with my assistant coach, and I came up with an idea; I think that I will put the team into your hands. Yes, I will coach you in practices, and I will work you to the bone sometimes, but if you want to play on this team, you will have to work at home.” The players began scooting up to the edge of their seats, wondering what this crazy coach was thinking.

“All we have to do to win is play our best. Winning is accomplishing what we can do, whether we get a trophy or not. I don’t care about winning every single game on our schedule if we play with our spirits high and mighty. Now if you seriously want to play on this team, you will play your hardest the entire time! Now who wants to do everything we can to be the best in the state?” The entire set of bleachers rose in a cheer, as the Richardson Wolves prepared for the best season the high school would have in a decade.





The first game for Richardson was against Central Hart, which the Wolves won easily, 35-10. The next week, the Wolves stunned Oakwood, 21-14, and then they beat Holbrook in week three.

The Monday following the Holbrook game, Larry Stewart and Gene Harold, the other assistant coach, came into Coach Martin’s office with smiles on their faces.

“Coach,” Harold exclaimed, “I don’t know how you did it, but Richardson is back! If we can beat Colquitt County, we can move into first place in the division.”

The Wolves did just that, beating Colquitt County by a score of 24-21. Unfortunately, Richardson failed to have a perfect season, and they lost to Parkwood, 21-20, in week five.
However, after winning the rest of their games, they made it to the playoffs, and then the state championship. Their opponent was the Greene County Rams, and the Rams went undefeated in their season. The day before the big game in the Georgia Dome, Gene Harold walked into the conference room at the Sheraton Hotel along with Larry Stewart and Chuck Martin.

“Guys,” said Martin, “If we win this, we will be put on the map. Not to mention, we will probably keep our jobs. Now, here’s what we’re going to do.”

It was Friday night, under the lights at the Georgia Dome, home of the GHSA State Championships. The players walked out of the locker room and onto the field. It seemed that everyone from the city of Richardson was there, all of them dressed in blue and gold, the school colors. Coach Martin felt the best among the Wolves’ team. He knew that even if he didn’t win the game, he would always be remembered at the school. However, he decided he might as well try to win the game, anyway.

The Rams scored first, receiving the kickoff and then marching down the field for a touchdown. However, the Wolves came right back, scoring within three minutes of possession. The first half went on like this, until about two and a half minutes left in the 2nd quarter, when the Rams scooped up a fumble for a touchdown, taking the lead, 14-7. The Wolves were able to kick a field goal as time expired to cut Greene County’s lead to just four.

“Men, we need to play better than that,” Coach Martin demanded, “We need to make sure we complete our passes and hold on to the football! Now, who wants to bring pride to the good city of Richardson, Georgia?” The roar of agreement showed that the Richardson Wolves were ready to win.

The Wolves scored a touchdown to take the lead, but the Rams came right back with a touchdown of their own. With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Rams had the ball at their 47-yard line, leading by two. A lead toss righto the halfback carried for 32 yards, giving them a first down. A shotgun pass to the left went for 7 yards, and just like that, it was 2nd & 3, the ball on the Wolves’ 14-yard line. Coach Martin called a timeout.

“Don’t give up. I can see that look in your eyes,” he said to his defense, “We are still in this game. All we have to do is hold their line. Now get out there!”

The Wolves stopped a fullback draw to the center for a loss of 2 yards, and then they sacked the quarterback on 3rd down at the 22-yard line. The Rams coach decided to kick a field goal. When the snap came, Bradley Duncan, a Wolves linebacker, barged through the Rams offensive line, and he blocked the kick. The ball fell to the ground, and Duncan scooped it up, and he made it to the 43-yard line, where he was knocked out of bounds. The game clock showed 1:37.

“All right, we have the ball with a minute and a half left, and we have two timeouts,” Coach Stewart told his team, while Martin was talking with the officials, “Coach wants me to tell you the strategy. First play, Wildcat run on the left. Next, try an option to the right. Then, I want a shotgun pass to the Z man,” he said, looking at George Ridley, their best wide receiver, “All right, let’s win this one.”


The Wildcat run went for a yard, while the option carried for six. Coach Martin called a timeout to stop the clock. The shotgun pass was thrown perfectly by David Harry, but a defender came in, and he nearly intercepted the ball.

“Harry,” Coach Martin said, “Blue Arrow, Blue Arrow.” That meant Bruce Thompson, the tight end, would be the decoy receiver, while George Ridley would get open.

It was fourth down, and if the play didn’t work, all Greene County had to do was take a knee, and the game would be over. The ball was snapped, and David threw the pass. The defenders realized the trick, and they all came after Ridley. Even with Rams defenders all around him, Ridley dived to let the ball land into his hands, and he ended up at the Rams’ 26-yard line. The clock showed four seconds left. Coach Martin called their final timeout.

“We need to kick a field goal,” Coach said, “Scott, you can make this. If you think that, you will make that kick. All right, let’s win the game!”

Andrew Scott trotted onto the field. He had been 13 for 16 so far, but most of those field goals were inside the 20-yard line. Suddenly, he felt a calm as the ball was gripped by the center, Tim Rollins. Rollins snapped the ball, and Scott placed his foot on the ball as he kicked away. The ball spun into the air. It looked as if it wouldn’t make it, but it kept on going. All of the five thousand fans sitting there rose to their seats, waiting for what would happen. Then, the loudest cheer the Richardson Wolves ever heard came when the ball split the uprights cleanly and harmlessly.
Coach Martin, Coach Stewart, and Coach Harold all jumped into the air at the same time, followed by the rest of the team on the sidelines. In a matter of seconds, the Wolves’ fans came stampeding onto the field, picking up Andrew Scott, David Harry, and George Ridley, and carrying them off the field. As the team went into the locker room, Coach Harold looked at his boss.
“Coach,” he said, “You’ve just made about fifty kids’ lives become great.”
“No, I didn’t,” Coach Martin said, smiling, “They were the ones who worked the whole season. All I did was watch.”