Jimtown High School

Jimmies Face Fiery Trial By Red Williams, Freelance Sports Writer ELKHART – Some might call it “baptism by fire.” Cody Vincent, new head football coach at Jimtown High School, might agree. In his inaugural season at the helm of the Jimmies, the season will start with some tough competition. Two neighborhood rivals are ready to strap it on against Jimtown in the first two games: NorthWood and Concord. The Panthers will get their licks in first with an Aug. 23 encounter on the Jimmies’ home turf, and the Minutemen come calling at Knepp Field the following Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 pm each. But the 38-year-old Vincent has some good seasoning. He comes to Jimtown from down the road in Nappanee, where he was NW’s special teams coach. He also has had some college experience at Notre Dame, Southern Methodist and Arkansas. “I soaked up all I could,” he says. He also was an assistant coach for the Jimmies from 2011-14 under Mike Campbell, and has had 16 years of coaching on the gridiron. He was a 2004 graduate of Jimtown, where he played as a receiver for Coach Bill Sharpe. He just missed a state championship (2005), but his younger brother Colton played on that squad and constantly rubs it in his face. Vincent recalls meeting Sharpe as a skinny little kid and shared how he longed to be a kicker for the Jimmies. Later he found a package at the front door from Sharpe: A football and a book about kicking. “There’s no way I wasn’t going to play for him,” he recalls. Actually, he never became a kicker, but played as a receiver. Vincent inherits a team on the rebound. The Jimmies were 4-6 last season, but the junior varsity was 6-2. And he has a load of seniors back among the 55-60 who are currently practicing. “I’d say we’ve got about 20 seniors, most of them with some experience,” he relates, “and I’m excited for school to start to meet other prospects.” Missing from the lineup will be Bishop Williams, last year’s quarterback, who will be playing football at the University of Indianapolis, and Jackson Clopton, who’s at DePauw, hoping to play both football and basketball. The heir-apparent at QB seems to be Mason Armstrong, who got to play in that slot several times last year. Vincent has named running back Ty Zartman and lineman Christian Velazquez as captains to open the season. He says Zartman is a quiet leader, proving to be a model to others, while Velazquez is the vocal leader. “I’m counting on them to help everyone get the energy up,” Vincent says. Others who will play key roles for the Jimmies are Cole Dutton, Javon Jackson, Xander Hummel, Jack Kite, Carson Reppert, Jose Cervantes, Broderick Kaler, Zavier Pratt and Logan Kelley. He expects Junior Casas and Braydon Fox to handle the kicking duties. What’s Vincent’s philosophy of coaching? “Ultimately, it boils down to relationships,” he says. “I want the best relationship I can have with every player. I want what’s best for them and want them to know I’ve got their back. I know what they’re going through. “I like Coach Bobby Dood’s quote: ‘Either love your players, or get out of coaching.’ (Georgia Tech legend) I think that approach is the best way to get them to play their best. Our staff focus is to have as many ready to play on Friday night as we can. “I take it one day at a time and reflect on everything after practice or a game,” he relates. The Jimmies are in a new conference starting this season: The Indiana Northern State Conference. “We think it’s a competitive league with some really tough opponents,” Vincent says. Here’s the Jimtown schedule: (all start at 7 p.m. with the exception of Knox (7:30). 8/23 JHS vs. NorthWood 8/30 JHS vs. Concord 9/6 JHS at Fairfield 9/13 JHS at John Glenn (INSC) 9/20 JHS vs. Brermen (INSC) 9/27 JHS vs. Tippecanoe Valley (INSC) 10/4 JHS vs. Knox (INSC) 10/11 JHS at LaVille (INSC) 10/18 JHS at Lakeland