GILMORE CLASSIC OPENS SEASON IN TORNADO ALLEY
The Booker High Tornadoes kick-off with a season opener against the Hardee Wildcats in the Fred Gilmore Classic, scheduled for Friday, August 19th at 7:30 p.m. in Tornado Alley.
Coach Scottie Littles is excited about the season and the growth of the Booker’s football program. He spoke about the approach to growing the team, and the goals he hopes to accomplish this year.
“My goal when I was hired in February was to recruit the hallways. I wanted to get into classroom and homes to figure out why they didn’t want to play. When I did that, we went from 20 players to 45 in the spring. When we started playing in the spring, I didn’t care about winning or losing, I cared about building our expectations and our standards.”
Working from the inside out, Coach Little looked for essential support from the community to help students think next level.
“We wanted to give them everything every other school has: the shiny new helmets, the shiny uniforms, the toys and gadgets. We were able to do that, to find money through the support of the community and give our players the experience that other kids in our area get. This summer, we asked how do we get the word out about our program, how do we reach our incoming freshmen? We just said, promote, promote, promote. Now we are at 78 players. We coach them hard, we put them in a position to succeed.”
“We” is Coach Littles and the 16 coaches working with him, keeping the goal of success on the field and in the classroom in the forefront. As head coach, he doesn’t talk to his players about the ultimate goal.
“Our goal every year is to win a state title, but we don’t talk about that goal with the kids. Let’s take care of TODAY. Let’s win today. I want to go 1-0 each week; if we go 1-0 ten times, we’ll be where we want to be at the end of season. Our goal at the end of the season is to be the last team playing and the last team celebrating.”
Growth doesn’t come without obstacles, but the Tornado coaching staff is up for the challenge. The biggest challenge isn’t winning every game, according to Coach Littles.
“The biggest challenge is teaching to deal with success and expectations. It’s truly us against the world. When you’ve been down so long and you begin to change that, you start to accumulate some enemies. Our biggest challenge is can we become the disciplined football team that nobody thinks we can.”
He’s coached lots of places – Virginia, south Florida – but Booker stands out because of its history and community. For this coach, it’s not just about football – it’s about carrying on a legacy.
“ What I’ve said is it’s my program, but it’s the kids’ team, it’s the community’s team. You’ve got people that went here 40, 50 years ago who still scream Booker Nation. That’s what makes it unique and special. When we step on the field, it’s not just about football, it’s about community. We’re playing for the people who went here 50, 40, 20 years ago that bleed purple and gold.
When the team is winning, there’s nowhere to sit. It’s a packed house. Our goal is to get 1 and 0 each week and bring our community back to the forefront.” Gates open at 6:30 for the Fred Gilmore Classic, with kickoff at 7:30. Tickets are $8 for the game and $5 for parking. Both must be purchased in advance at GoFan.co. Booker High is located at 3201 N. Orange Avenue. For more information, contact Stacey Tinkis at (941) 355-2967, x65006.
