25 Teams in 25 Days: West Harrison Hurricanes

Following back-to-back one-win seasons, the West Harrison football program has nothing to lose and everything to gain in 2018.

Under the new leadership of first-year Head Coach Quincy Patrick, the Hurricanes have never been more poised to finally make a splash in the region 4 Class 5A rank.

“This is the most running and conditioning, hitting, having fun, all this we ever did.”

“Well, the second he walks in the room everybody is quiet. Because he brings that intensity that everybody needs, that the team needs as a whole.”

Less than three months in, Quincy Patrick is already getting results as the head man at West Harrison, but he can’t escape the past. “In class today I had a young lady tell me, she said Coach Patrick, I’m happy that you’re here, but if you win more than two games, we’ll throw you a party.”

Now that sounds like a low bar to set, but the Hurricanes haven’t been the most successful program in their ten year history. Not a single winning season and not even a taste of the post-season. Remember those back-to-back marks of 1-10. Quarterback Keith Holloway said, “We’re not really like focused on that record anymore, Coach told us to erase that out of our memory. So right now we’re just focused on this upcoming season, and doing our best and going out there and give it our all.”

“I read a great quote yesterday and it said this: With adversity comes great opportunity. The greater the adversity, the greater the opportunity. And there is no greater adversity than taking over a program that’s 2-20 over the last two years, the laughing stock of the Coast. If we can just turn this thing around and get it headed in the right direction, who knows what that’s going to be, but getting it headed in the right direction and how satisfying that’s going to be. Not for me, but for these kids and these coaches,” said Coach Patrick.

The seniors, especially, are ready to make their current ten game losing streak a distant memory. “I haven’t had a taste of victory since my ninth-grade year. I’m ready to win again, I’m ready to win.”

Free safety Jaquan Jackson said, “The last couple years, I don’t like losing that much, so my love for football wasn’t as big as it is now. Considering that we’re going to be very successful this year, I’m starting back to love it. All summer I was loving it, still loving it.”

That’s the Coach Patrick effect, not upgrading from a tropical depression to a Cat 5 overnight,  but simply making landfall in 2018. “Well, like I told the kids when I first got here, we’re not going to measure our success by wins and losses. We’re going to measure our success by the shape of the program. We want to leave this program better than we found it.”

“Even if we have a winning season, even if we don’t make it to the playoffs that’s still better than any history of football that West Harrison has seen.”

West Harrison kicks off 2018 with three straight road games, starting at Bay High on August 17^th. However, the Hurricanes do have a 5:30 p.m. home jamboree on Friday, JV and varsity, against Moss Point.