By DeShaun Presley
The Seattle Medium
For most football programs, spring practice has just arrived, summer two-a-days are approaching, thus being introduced to the 2019-20 Metro League Conference high school football season.
On May 24, 2019 former Garfield High School Head Coach Joey Thomas announced that he would be resigning to take a coaching job in Kansas at a community college.
“This was overdue,” said Thomas of testing his skills as a college coach. “Sometimes your loyalty and principles don’t allow you to do certain things. God put me in a circumstance where I had no other choice but to leave my comfort zone.”
With Coach Thomas moving on for the first time in three years the Bulldogs were in the market for a head coach, one with sizable shoes to fill. Coach Thomas’ resume during his tenure with the Bulldogs reads 18-15 in three seasons at Garfield and, in 2017, he led the Bulldogs to their first Class 3A state semifinals win since 1979.
Fortunately for the Bulldogs their next head coach was currently apart of their staff. On April 26, Garfield High School announced assistant coach of three years Reggie Witherspoon as interim Head Coach. A Rainier Beach alum and Eastern Washington graduate, Coach “Spoon”, as he is referred to by coaches and players alike, cut his teeth coaching youth football devoting 10 years of service.
The “Coach Spoon” era at Garfield began with a 53-6 victory over Interlake High School of Bellevue. Thereafter, the Bulldogs suffered a two-game losing streak, traveling to Spokane to face a tough Central Valley football team, only to come up one-point shy of a victory. The Bulldogs then suffered a one-point loss to Bellevue on the road as well.
Looking to bounce back the Bulldogs faced a formidable opponent in Seattle Prep on the Panthers homecoming night. Weather played a huge factor coming out on the right side of favor for the Bulldogs who took home a 35-9 victory.
“[We] Played against a well-coached prep team who has a lot of fight, toughness and confidence,” said Witherspoon after the game. “We didn’t take care of the ball in the first half , as the weather and field conditions weren’t in our favor , but I explained to [our players] at the half ‘prep is playing in the same weather and on the same field we are , when you want it bad enough you figure out a way to get it done’ and we came out in the second half executed more and came out with the win.
“Wasn’t a pretty win, but I’ll take it,” he added. “We will watch film, correct our mistakes and move on.”
Witherspoon also spoke about his experience so far as Garfield head coach.
“It’s been an absolute joy and honor to coach these young men,” exclaimed Witherspoon with a huge smile on his face. “All I am doing is trying to shape and mold them into men of character and integrity.”
“The talent is there, I don’t want us to be defined as a talented football team, I want us to have more to that,” explained Witherspoon. “We have learned some things about who we are and where we plan to go as a team, so far I think we have stepped up to some of the challenges I have confronted them with, but we still have a way to go.”
Despite a 2-2 record, Witherspoon is optimistic about the remainder of the season.
“I like the direction we are heading in, and more importantly I am proud of the discipline we have displayed,” he said. “It hasn’t been perfect but we are further than what most would think.”
“One week at a time is our motto, we take the learning in both a win and a loss, and I expect our guys to continuously get better,” he continued. “I am truly having a lot of fun and am blessed to be in this position.”
The Bulldogs (2-2) face their next challenge vs Eastside Catholic Crusaders (4-0) at 7:45 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 4 at Memorial Stadium.
