Dublin’s Holmes nears another milestone
Racking up a boatload of wins means two things, although the coaches who do so usually only reference one.
And Roger Holmes is no different.
“It’s nothing more than a guy that’s got to coach a lot of years,” the Dublin head coach said. “And had some good players along the way.”
No doubt Holmes has been around. He’s in his 15th season at Dublin and is 126-48-1. He came from Beech High in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and was 73-49 in 11 seasons as head coach.
Here sit the Irish at 5-0, and here sits Holmes at 199-48-1. Standing in the way Friday night of No. 200 is Bleckley County, which is 1-4 this season and has only one win against Dublin, coming last year.
The Irish started 4-0 in 2015 and finished 6-4. This year’s group is young, but Dublin has done mighty well before when young. And Holmes knows it.
“It reminds me of 2004,” Holmes said.”That football team, we played a lot of sophomores, some freshmen.”
That football team was 12-2, a record that eventually was changed to 10-4 because of an ineligible player in the first two games, non-region meetings. Dublin lost 28-24 to Buford in the Class 2A semifinals.
As good as that team was, it was young, and it set the table for a ferociously successful run.
The Irish followed with 11-1, 14-0-1, 11-3 and 11-2, tying Charlton County in the 2006 championship game.
The memories returned to Holmes in the Irish’s second game of this season.
“We were playing Veterans and I look at on the field,” Holmes said. “We’ve got a weak(side) corner that’s a sophomore, both defensive ends were freshmen, and our (weakside) linebacker was a sophomore.”
Holmes isn’t sure yet that this team has some of the same explosive players of that 2004 group, but he still expects a pretty high level of success.
“We’re a young football team that has four or five veterans. Truthfully, we’re a good football team. I’m talking about a good Double-A football team, not a statewide (all-classification) football team.
“A good, solid Double-A football team.”
The Irish are, like most teams, a few injuries away from a season’s course veering in another direction. But they’re tested, getting one-point wins over Tattnall County and Veterans, cruising past Wilkinson County, holding off Swainsboro and then thumping county rival East Laurens.
Dublin’s wing-T is currently more run-oriented, although the Irish throughout the years have mixed in a quality passing game when the quarterback play allows for it.
They’re averaging 30.4 points and 236 rushing yards game, with a backfield of Ramon Pittman, Isreal Phillips, Eric Roberson and Martin Rodriguez leading the way. Greg Jones is a solid two-way player.
Dublin is dressing about 50 players, Holmes said, and about 30 are getting legitimate playing time. So if the vast majority of those underclassmen stick with it, the Irish could be in for another stellar run.
That doesn’t mean Holmes, who has watched county rivals East Laurens and West Laurens each go through six head coaches since he arrived, will be around for win No. 300.
“I like what we’re doing,” the 55-year-old said, starting to chuckle, “ but I do not see that happening.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Dublin’s Holmes nears another milestone."