PREP FOOTBALL: Matlock named BHC’s Coach of the Year

BY TIM HAYES
Bristol Herald Courier

Jordan Blevins calls his coach a great motivator. Jeffrey Bramlett echoes his leader’s belief in putting time in the weight room.

Those are just two of the things Jason Matlock has brought to Holston High School in his two seasons as the head football coach at the Washington County school.

“My coaching staff and I just tried to raise the level of expectation and raise the level of work ethic,” Matlock said. “The players really responded. It’s just a testament of how hard they’ve been willing to work.”

That work has resulted in Holston emerging from the doldrums and reaching new heights. For his efforts, Matlock was named the Herald Courier’s coach of the year.

The Cavaliers were 1-9 the season before Matlock arrived. In just his second year as head coach the 26-year-old directed his alma mater to a 10-3 record, a Region C, Division 1 title and the first state semifinal appearance in program history in 2008.

The turnaround began in 2007, when Holston posted its first winning season since 1995 and earned a playoff bid. The success story continued this fall as Holston claimed its first playoff win in 24 years and put together a deep postseason run. It also brought a Friday night excitement to Damascus that hadn’t been seen for more than two decades.

“When I step back and reflect on it, it means an awful lot to me,” Matlock said. “Football is such a community-driven sport and our community has been great these last couple of years. Just everything that goes into it, my coaching staff for all the hours they put in; cheerleaders, band and everybody. It was great to experience that success for everyone.”

The success has had to be especially gratifying for Matlock. He was a multi-sport standout at Holston and played quarterback for the Cavaliers from 1997-2000. However, the Cavs failed to win many games on the gridiron during his playing days.

He went on to play baseball at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and spent time as an assistant coach at Abingdon for two years. Occasionally, he would ponder the football fortunes of his alma mater.

“I think when I was able to get away from it and reflect on my high school experience a bit, I started thinking: Why can’t we be successful at Holston?” Matlock said. “Our kids at Holston aren’t any different than those kids on teams around here that are successful. Why not us? I just tried to bring that attitude when I got the job.”

When he arrived back on the scene in Damascus, Matlock found a group of players that were hungry to end the string of losing seasons and experience success. They quickly connected with the new coach.

Just ask Blevins, who starred at linebacker and wide receiver.

“He comes out every day enthusiastic,” Blevins said. “He knows what it’s like. He gets on us, stays on us and has hope in us. We do our best for him and he does his best for us.”

Matlock also remains humble. He constantly praises his assistant coaches – Jeff Austin, Dennis Webb, Jeremiah Eskridge, John Thacker, Justin Rodheaver and Garrett Austin – for their effort and the Cavs’ braintrust spent countless hours during the season preparing for upcoming challenges.

The challenge now is keeping the winning ways going.

“I think that any team’s goal is to have a winning tradition,” Matlock said. “We’ve started something these last two years … Hopefully, we can keep it going in this direction.”

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