Carver High Coach Pierre Coffey Has A Winning Combination

Caver High School Head Coach Pierre Coffey doesn’t take his job as a coach of young men lightly.

“I thank God for that responsibility and that opportunity to know that I’m part of a kid’s village,” said the coach in his third season at Carver. “It’s a blessing to be here at this time.”

In his 18^th year coaching, the Tuskegee University graduate has taken his team all the way to a Georgia State 2A Championship. The last time the team won a state championship was in 2007.

Coaching at Carver is nothing new to him, he was an assistant coach under Dell McGee from 2011-2014, before becoming the head coach at Spencer High School for the 2015-2016 school year.

“The year before I came, in 2021, they went to the state championship under Corey Joiner and lost,” said Coffey before the state championship game. “My first season was 2022. We went to the quarterfinals and that was the same year that Braylon Jakes lost his parents in a fatal car accident.”

He said this year’s team is special because of the close bond they have with each other.

“With this group, it’s the comradery. They are very close-knit. A lot of these kids have played together since they were in peewee ball, you know rec ball. These kids are like family. They’ve all grown up together. So, just that accountability piece with the closeness. They hold each other accountable. They push each other to be the best version of themselves. So, I think that’s a big part of it,” Coffey said.

Because the group is like a family, he said they feed off of each other and seeing Braylon’s response to the loss of his parents has helped energized the team.

“Braylon Jakes is one of those guys. I’ve never seen a kid so courageous. Since that day he hasn’t missed a day of school. He hasn’t missed a practice. He makes all As.  When you start talking about somebody who has resiliency, he’s going to excel in life just because of those traits that he has to persevere and continue to push forward and to be optimistic. He’s a special person,” Coffey said. “I do think as far as the team embodying that and wrapping themselves around him, I do think he’s a focal point of our football team. He’s a really good football player. As a receiver he has about 17 touchdowns, and more than 800 receiving yards.”

The comradery extends to the coaching staff.

“We’re very close with the kids. It’s like a big family. I think that’s the contributing factor that’s different with this group,” he said.

The last time Carver won the State Title, they were in division 4A, meaning the school has lost population, but still remains a powerhouse in football.

“You’re going to have really good football in all classifications,” Coffey said, adding that his players have scholarship offers from schools from all over the country including Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Troy, Miles, Georgia State, etc.

He said he was confident his team was prepared and ready for the game, which was held on Tuesday, Dec. 17 in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“They work extremely hard,” Coffey said. “We spend a lot of hours in our preparation to make sure there are no surprises on game day. So, I feel like they are prepared, and they understand the capacity of the game.”

Before the game on Tuesday, he took his team to the stadium on Monday to help them become comfortable with the venue.

After winning the championship, Coffey said he will be in a good position next season with the majority of his starting players returning.

“We have 9 of 11 on offense coming back. Defensively, we will lose five of the 11 starters,” Coffey said. “So, defensively we will have some pieces that we have to plug in.”

Coffey said more than teaching the students to be football players, he values teaching each player to be men.

“I had two twins at Spencer. They were like my own kids. One was my best player, and I had to kick him off the football team,” Coffey said, explaining that sometime touch love is needed. “He went to Alabama State and now he’s a police officer.”

Coffey said he sees that student today and he has expressed appreciation for the things he did for him.

“I had to have somebody in my village to show me the way. I feel as a man it is our responsibility to lend a helping hand and reach back and help someone else, and instill those values and morels in them that made us successful; and they turn around and do the same thing for the next generation,” Coffey said.