Moving forward after a loss is never easy.  Even more difficult is when there is little time to grieve and only time to continue on. 

This was the case with the CHS football team this past summer after the district relieved former head coach Sam Horrell of his duties. Introduced to the players as head coach in late June less than six weeks before the first practice, head football coach Scott Weissman had limited time to prepare the team for the first practice on Aug. 8.

Before joining Clayton as the defensive coordinator on the coaching staff last season, Weissman served as defensive coordinator for Kirkwood and as a coach in the Parkway District, totaling 34 years of football coaching experience.  Additionally, Weissman was the head baseball coach at Parkway West High School from 1990 to 2009, during which time he was inducted into the Missouri Baseball High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame for coaching American Legion Baseball.

Though the players will no doubt remember Horrell for life, Weissman echoed the players’ thoughts about the circumstances.

“This was a very emotional issue for everyone; however, we also know a person cannot control what has already happened but can control what is about to happen,” Weissman said. “This philosophy is something we have followed in moving on from the situation.”

Despite the criticism of the administration for relieving Horrell of his duties, the selection of Weissman received praise from both players and parents.  Tango Walker, whose son, junior Tyler Walker, has been a perennial starter since entering high school, called the transition “smooth.”

“I believe the appropriate decision was made to promote Weismann opposed to bringing someone in that the players didn’t know,” Walker said.

Weissman said that the transition “virtually seamless,” and despite the coaching change, the players seemed excited for the season.

While the loss of Horrell disappointed and infuriated the students, it did not change their expectations for the season.  Instead, they found an additional motivation to work hard, as now the team is working not just for themselves, but for Horrell as well.

Senior defensive end Joseph Bradley thought the team might even be a leg up this year.

“We have an entire season to dedicate to coach Horrell for all that he did for this team and this school,” Bradley said.  “Our team is stronger and more dedicated to the sport than it has been in previous years.”

Walker agreed that not only did the termination of Horrell give the players an additional motivation to work, but it also forced the players to group together and find leaders from within.

“The termination has forced them to push through their emotional pain; and that’s a life lesson,” Walker said.  “The transition has made Tyler work harder and become an even stronger leader because he wants to make Coach Horrell proud.”

Because of the smooth transition between coaches, Walker said the only difference between this season and last season was that this team is made of “more mature players.”   She said the players “have another type of strength that they will bring to the field and that’s resilience,” something one cannot teach.

Bradley’s thoughts coincided with Walker in that while the situation was stressful, it strengthened the team.

Additionally, both agreed that while the coach provides support, it is ultimately players who determine the outcome.

“The job of the coaches is to teach us how to play football, and they will show us the way to victory, but in the end its up to us, the players, to actually take what we get from the coaches and turn it into something meaningful,” Bradley said. “To turn it into something meaningful we have to come together not just as a team, but as a family, to get the job done. So coach Horrell or no coach Horrell, we are a team, and we are a family.”

Junior wide receiver Michael Turner said that while he felt similarly to other players about Horrell, he would never let “someone or something determine” his future.

Through the whole process, he said he was focused on becoming a better player and teammate.

Ultimately, the team goal is still the same: Turner wants to see the team at the “dome.” The holy grail of Missouri high school football, the “dome” signifies an appearance at the Edwards Jones Dome, the state semifinals and for Clayton, an eternal place on the wall in Stuber gymnasium.
Bradley agreed that no offseason adjustment would affect the goal to go far into the playoffs.

“Coach Horrell told us last year that this loss shouldn’t affect us and that we need to move forward with our goals and our responsibilities as a football team,” Bradley said.  “And that’s exactly what we’re doing.”