Triad High School head football coach Joe Cardinal (right) gives instructions to his team during a 2017 game. After notching only two victories during the past two seasons, Cardinal said some changes will need to be made in order to get the team up to a successful level.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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It’s no secret that the past two football seasons have been difficult at Triad High School.
Back-to-back 1-9 campaigns mean head coach Joe Cardinal will need to make some changes prior to the 2018 season.
“I knew after seeing the roster and meeting the players that 2016 was going to be a rough season,” admitted Cardinal. “It didn’t help either that I was a late hire (during the summer after long-time head coach Payton Printz resigned).
“I also knew that we’d be playing a lot of underclassmen these first two years.”
The initial year of a new coaching regime is always difficult as athletes become familiar with new schemes (both offensive and defensive) and coaching staff.
There is also a learning curve for new coaches.
What hampered the team’s progress this past season was the injury bug that made the Cardinals look like a “MASH” unit.
“We could never get 11 starters healthy and on the field at the same time,” said Cardinal. “Dylan Rice and Dylan Switeck were lost for the year with early injuries and Cam (Atchison) played much of the season on a bad ankle.
“You’re always going to have bumps and bruises, but all those injuries really hurt us this year.”
As a result of the injuries, the Cardinals were faced with a massive depth problem as they suited up 30 or fewer players for most games.
“We also had only three seniors this year (after five on the roster in 2016), so we knew that we’d have at least four freshmen or sophomores on the field for every snap,” said Cardinal. “It was very tough for those younger guys to go from playing junior high ball a year or two ago and to be thrown into varsity action.
“Cam and Andy (fellow senior Martin) did all they could this year,” he said.
Despite the difficult campaign, Cardinal said he saw some positive strides.
“Our defense was better as we forced more turnovers than we did last year,” he said. “However, we still made too many turnovers ourselves and gave up too many big plays.”
Just where does the coach start in correcting those problems?
“Well, we could use more senior leadership to hold everyone accountable,” said Cardinal.
To that end, help may be coming as the Cardinals anticipate having 12 fourth-year men on the roster next year.
“We’re just a few weeks into the off-season,” said Cardinal. “After Thanksgiving, we’re going to need to take a step back, look at ourselves and begin a re-evaluation process. We will have to make some changes.
“When you go 1-9 in back-to-back seasons, you’re obviously not doing something right,” he said. “As a coaching staff, we will look at what went right this year and what we need to do to get better.”
The coach said Cardinal Nation has been “absolutely patient” during the growing-pains process.
There is someone, however, who has lost his patience.
“Joe Cardinal hasn’t been very patient,” said Cardinal.
He admittedly points a big finger of blame at himself.
“I didn’t meet the expectations I have for myself as a coach this year,” he said. “I’ve been on the other side of this as an assistant coach. We were 14-0 and state champions in 2015 when I was an assistant at Raven Wood High School (in Brentwood, Tenn.)
“I expect to be in the playoffs or competing for a playoff spot each year,” said Cardinal. “I expect to coach a playoff-caliber team.
“Being average just doesn’t cut it in sports.”