Lafayette County coaches

Coach Anthony Hart and the Lafayette County Commodores have also had a successful season, making the playoffs and hosting a second-round game.

Hart said the strength of the athletic program and the football program have been able to feed off each other.

“Our athletic program and football program is one of the strongest in our class in the state,” he said. “The athletic program here enables every team to be successful, not just football.”

Hart said he too feels like he has the right staff in place to guide his young players through a playoff run. His staff consists of eight assistants and one trainer, and he said he was able to hire his entire staff.

“One of the main qualities I look for in my staff is being knowledgeable, and I think I have a really strong staff where that is concerned,” he said. “Dennis Robbins, our offensive coordinator, was a head coach for several years, and he has a great record and does an excellent job of running our offense. Eric Robertson is our defensive coordinator, and like Coach Robbins, does an outstanding job with defense. I think they’re two of the best out there.”

Staying involved with the students is one of the goals of Hart’s coaching staff, he said.

“I think it’s important to get to know the students and feel invested in what happens to them, and not just the ones who play football,” Hart said.

Hart said he believes one of the strengths of his athletic program and his coaching staff is encouraging the athletes to reach their full potential and consider their futures, both on the playing field and in the classroom.

“We have a sign in our locker room that says the Commodore way is faith, family and football,” he said. “It’s something we stress to our kids, to first of all have spiritual faith, then they have their family, and football is third. And when we talk about football, we’re talking about academics and athletics, hand in hand.”

With the number of athletes from his school that have went on to play college football, Hart said he continues to stress to his students the importance of continuing their education and playing at the next level.

“We just tell them to work hard,” he said. “If they work hard and that’s what they want, then we tell them to go for it.”

Athletic director Jeff Nelson said he thinks the football program has been strong at Lafayette County for several years, despite the fact that they have yet to win a state championship.

“Our football program has always been very, very strong,” he said. “If you look at the past few years, we’ve had just as many wins, if not more, than any other program in our class. That state championship has just kept eluding us, but we’re confident we can get it soon.”