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| Shaun Hayes is a connection back to longtime Maryville coach Tony Ierulli. Photo by Adam Turer, D3sports.com |
MARYVILLE, Tenn. - This was a day 14 years in the making. Shaun Hayes made his head coaching debut for Maryville College, his alma mater and only post-collegiate employer.
As a player and assistant coach, he had been part of 62 wins at Maryville. Victory No. 63 is one he will always treasure.
“It is awesome and it is a humbling feeling. I’m so blessed and so humbled to coach at a place that I truly love and that I call home,” said Hayes. “I’m so thankful to President Bogart and our athletic director Kandis Schram. They’ve given me an opportunity to live out my dream.”
The 32-year-old played running back and receiver for the Scots, graduating in 2006. After graduation, he stayed at Maryville as running backs coach, assisting his head coach Tony Ierulli. He proceeded to coach defensive backs, then quarterbacks. He was elevated to recruiting coordinator along the way.
Hayes was the only full-time assistant coach from Ierulli’s staff that Mike Rader retained when he took over in 2012. Hayes was instrumental in helping the new staff lead the Scots to a 21-10 record and 2013 USA South championship during Rader’s three seasons as head coach.
“First and foremost, Coach Hayes is very deserving of everything he’s received. I’m so thankful that the administration allowed him this opportunity,” said Rader. “He helped me bridge the gap with so much of Maryville College that I didn’t know. I know how special that place is to him.”
Hayes continued coaching quarterbacks and Rader elevated him to assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2014. When Rader resigned to coach at his alma mater, East Tennessee State, Hayes ascended to the top spot.
“We just picked up where we left off. We didn’t have any drop off after Coach Rader left,” said senior quarterback and captain Evan Pittenger. “I think we’re a lot closer team this year.”
On a steamy Saturday in front of a large home crowd, Hayes led his Scots to a 43-17 win over Berry. For the first time, he donned a gray sweater vest as he paced the sidelines. He mostly kept a healthy distance from his players and coaches, trusting them to do what he had prepared them to do all summer.
“My job is to be a manager. One thing we’re trying to teach our kids is to manage people,” said Hayes. “The guys feed off of whatever I do. I’ve got to be able to stay locked in. You can’t be too emotional. You can’t get too high or low. I want them to see that there is a confidence, but yet we’re calm.”
Although many well-wishers told him that he would have a restless Friday night, Hayes slept well. On the eve of his head coaching debut, he grilled steaks for his fiancee to show his appreciation for her putting up with the many long hours that go into the preseason. He checked scores from the Friday night games going on around Division III, and was asleep by 9:30. The same calming confidence that helped him enjoy his Friday evening carried over onto the field on Saturday.
“When I reflected back, I really saw that we were prepared,” said Hayes. “We worked and we’ve put in our time. At that point, I felt like it’s in God’s hands and we were ready to go.”
The debut meant something special to the Scots players, too. They played with passion, evidenced by the perfect execution of the offense’s first play of the 2015 season.
”It meant a lot to get that for him after all he’s done for this program,” said running back Trenton Shuler, who burst through a hole for an 84-yard touchdown run on the Scots’ first offensive snap of 2015. “Coach Hayes means everything to this program. We wanted to give back and give him a win and hopefully this is just one of many.”
The players appreciated the intensity and sense of unity that Hayes brought to camp this summer. Multiple players spoke of the improved team chemistry fostered by bringing the offense and defense together. They also spoke of how hard camp was this year. The themes of hard work and togetherness are among Hayes’ most important principles. Everything the Scots do is underscored by love. The new head coach felt the love reciprocated by his players when they doused him with a Gatorade bath as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
“That will always be special. I try to make a really special bond with my kids. I care about each one of them,” said Hayes. “We’re hard on them, but I hope they know that we truly love them. I’m not afraid to say that. I love each and every one of those guys because of the time and effort they put it. I feel like if you don’t get that right as a coach, no matter what scheme you run or how hard you condition, you’re missing out. For them to do that, it means a lot to me.”
His new game day duties allowed him to provide more one-on-one encouragement when his players needed a boost of confidence. He engaged the officials when he felt it was necessary. When the Scots turned the ball over, he remained nonplussed. When the Vikings finally scored a touchdown halfway through the third quarter, Hayes gave his players a smirk and a few claps, letting them know that it was inevitable that they would give up a big play at some point this season. No matter the situation, he kept a broad smile on his face.
The players responded to that leadership.
“Coach Hayes has been one of my biggest supporters and biggest fans here since day one,” said Pittenger, who accounted for three touchdowns on the day. “We’ve got a great relationship. I’m so happy we could get this big win for him because he deserves it because he’s been working so hard.”
Hayes is the last person who would make Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015 at Marvyille College all about him. Although it was a milestone in both his personal and professional life, he is focused on getting his team ready for a short week as they prepare for Thursday night’s tilt at ETSU. He did share the underlying message of his personal journey with his players, as a way of showing them what it takes to realize big dreams.
“This is not about me. My journey has got to a point now where this about the 2015 Maryville College football team,” he said. “I did tell our players at our devotional that it’s always good to sit down and reflect and think about the process and the journey that you’ve been through to get where you’re at.
“I used my career and my life here as an analogy--Nothing comes easy and it takes a lot of time.”
Another memorable introduction
Hayes was not the only young head coach making his debut on Saturday. Susquehanna’s Tom Perkovich started his era on a positive note, leading the Crusaders to a 28-13 win over Lycoming. It was a marquee non-conference win for the program that had just three wins over the past two seasons combined. The Warriors defeated the Crusaders 44-13 in last year’s season opener. Perkovich showed that his first offseason preparing the Crusaders was a huge success. Tom McLoughlin had a team-high 14 tackles and an interception as the defense matched its fewest points allowed in a game over the past three seasons.
Making history, early
It was a record-breaking weekend before we even made it to Saturday. On Friday night, Washington and Lee rushed for a ODAC-record 649 yards, averaging 8.1 yards per carry in a 63-35 win over Averett. Six different Generals rushed for more than 75 yards each. At the same time, Gettysburg broke a Centennial Conference record by rushing for 574 yards, also averaging 8.1 yards per carry. Quarterback Sam McDermott rushed for 183 yards while running back Kyle Wigley rushed for 173 to lead the Bullets past Bridgeewater.
Centennial teams waste no time
The opening night of the season was chock full of drama. On Thursday, Franklin and Marshall held off Lebanon Valley for a big non-conference win, 42-37. Matt Magarity passed for four touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Dips. Taalib Gerald rushed for 152 yards and scored twice.
Ursinus was so eager to get back to football that the Bears played five overtimes. After a scoreless regulation, the Bears eventually prevailed over Division II Millersville, 17-9. Ursinus allowed just 2.8 yards per play. The defense hung on by forcing three turnovers, despite the Ursinus offense turning the ball over four times. William Ghaul had three tackles for loss and James Worrilow had 15 tackles to lead the Bears.
Morley and Tutone deliver
There’s clutch, and then there’s what Lucas Morley did on Saturday night. The Catholic wide receiver hauled in four touchdown receptions over the final 15:57 of the Cardinals 34-33 come-from-behind victory over McDaniel. The Cardinals trailed 23-7 at halftime and that score stood until the final minute of the third quarter, when senior quarterback TJ Tutone and Morley hooked up for an eight-yard touchdown. They connected three more times, including the game-winning 49-yarder with 14 seconds to play. Morley caught a pass near the sideline, shook a defender, tiptoed to stay in bounds, picked up a couple of nice downfield blocks, and raced the end zone for the win.
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Do you know about any upcoming milestones, big games, or new names in the Mid-Atlantic? Please share them with me. If you have suggestions for next week's column, please reach out to me on Twitter at @adamturer or via email at adam.turer@d3sports.com.
