Click here for more pictures from the last game of the 2015-16 season.
By TIERRA HAYES – Writing Coach
Head football coach Ahren Self speaks about the seniors on his team and his ambitions for them as they head into the final quarters of their high school careers, while looking ahead to the future of the program.
Tierra Hayes: What is your message to your senior players, since this is their last season or last couple of games as high school athletes?
Ahren Self: I tell them, ‘hey, look. You’re going to look back on these days and wish you had it to do all over again. Don’t have any regrets of what you should have done. Go out and play every play like it’s your last because you never know. The next snap could be your last and you never be able to play again. You’ve got a chance (to go) out on a positive note, to show people you’re not quitting, you know, giving it all because you have nothing to lose now and just don’t look back and don’t have any regrets.’\
TH: What are your hopes for your seniors post high school?
AS:Number one post high school (is) that they are successful in whatever they do. If they go on to college, that they go on and they have good grades, and if they’re competing in football that’s great and if not as long as they’re going on and continuing their education, as long as they are successful. And the guys who aren’t going off to college, if they get in some kind of Votech program, find jobs or get in a good stable job and stay out of trouble, making sure they are productive citizens.
TH: Are you anticipating any of your seniors to sign or go on to play college ball?
AS:I am hoping that we are going to get a couple of them. Rayshawn McCall has already been offered, he’s just gotta decide where he wants to go and possibly get some more offers. Jaqua Daniels, he’s been offered by several schools. We’ve got some other guys that are being looked at and I’m sure when the smaller schools come in that’s when they kind of take their guys, so we’re hoping that we have more than just one or two.
TH: With this season about to end, what are you anticipating for next year?
AS:We’ve got a great group of ninth graders and a great group of middle school kids coming up. We’ve got to build off of some of the positives that we have this year and we’ve got to reload up front as far as our offense and defensive lineman, but we’ve just gotta get more guys in the mix. We’ve gotta get more numbers out and that’s one of my focuses after the season is to try to recruit in the school and a little bit more in the community. Not recruit other players from other schools you know what I mean, trying to recruit kids to come out within our district or in our school zone to come out and get excited about Clarke Central Football.
