Change is never an easy thing to deal with, especially when it comes unexpectedly. That was the reaction that defensive coordinator James Farmer had when longtime head coach Tony Heath announced he was resigning as the head coach of the Pearland Oilers after 20 seasons last month effective at the end of July.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Farmer said of Heath’s departure, “I know that this was something he had been talking about for the last year or two but I thought that was going to be in the next two to three years down the road and then he got the new opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.”
Farmer is happy for his former head coach and his new opportunity. But in the interim, he is now in charge of a program that has reached heights that weren’t there prior to Heath’s first season in 1997, including 17 straight playoff appearances and a state title in 2010.
Like his predecessor, Farmer has been part of much of this growth for the last 13 seasons as a defensive coordinator. That said, his plan is to make sure that the Oilers don’t look too much different than they did in 2016.
“One of the main questions I’ve been asked over the last couple of weeks is what’s going to change and I tell people that you don’t change what works well,” Farmer said on his approach to 2017, “When you spend 20 years being successful in putting something together, there’s not really a need to change anything. We may add a few tweaks but pretty much everything will stay the same. The one difference will be that Tony Heath won’t be out there.
This season will have a different feel than last year now that everyone is back healthy. The Oilers lost starting quarterback and new Texas A&M signal caller Connor Blumrick on the third play of the year and faced an uphill battle with the injury bug all season long. Pearland did finish 8-4 and win a playoff game but getting to that point wasn’t easy.
“The injuries were a real challenge to deal with last season,” Farmer said, “We had to adapt and overcome and step up on the defensive side while the offense did what they could with what they had and they did a great job given the circumstances.”
Several Oilers turned that adversity into opportunity. Farmer said that the injuries gave several younger players a chance to show off what they can do on the field. The offense returns nine starters including quarterback Austin Landry and running backs Jaelin Benefield. Evan Burgess is expected to take on a bigger role in the backfield this season.
On defense, defensive end Gilbert Ibenene is back along with safety Colton Johnson as two of six returning starters. Thanks to that experience, Farmer believes that could lend itself to a big year for Pearland in 2017.
“The biggest thing that the kids took away from last season is to always be prepared because you never know when something might happen to the guy in front of you,” Farmer said, “The kids have worked hard throughout the offseason in spring football and 7 on 7 and we’re looking forward to a great season.”
As for what the future lies in store beyond this season, no one knows for sure. Farmer understands that uncertainty but is moving forward only trying to control what he can and not look too far ahead into the crystal ball.
“It’s a little bit nerve-wracking just because of the uncertainty that the future holds,” Farmer said, “I just told our staff that we’re going to do the best we can like we always have to get our kids prepared to go win football games and whatever happens happens.”
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