It’s a hot 88 degree’s in Taylorsville and head football coach Chuck Robertson is putting forth his best Bill Belichik impression, wearing a pullover hoodie on the teams practice field fully engulfed by the September afternoon sun.
“I wear it to show the kids its not that hot,” Robertson says.
While he may not be, his team is.
Taylorsville is 3-0 thus far, with wins over county rivals Raleigh and Mize, in addition to a Week 1 win over 4A Northeast Jones.
At this time last year, things were much different. By Week 4 last season, the Tartars were 1-2 and about to be handed their third loss, a 56-15 decision over Raleigh, whom they beat this year by 18 points.
“The biggest thing was our summer workout,” says the second-year head coach. “The first year they didn’t know what to expect. You come in and you have seniors that had a different head coach for four years. It was very difficult during summer workouts last year, tying to teach the kids new things and new ways of doing things. Those first six or seven weeks, those kids were still trying to learn me, learn what we were expecting and learn what we were doing.
“This year when summer rolled around, the kids knew what to expect. We were able to get a lot more in because [of that].”
Returning an entire squad helps too. Taylorsville had just three seniors in 2016.
“We played a lot of kids that were young [last year],” says Robertson. “And that is why we’re playing better football than we were at this time last season. A lot of our guys know what to expect.”
One player that did not play last season and is largely responsible for the team’s hot start is freshman quarterback Ty Keyes. Robertson says he’s the smartest kid he’s ever coached.
“He’s a great kid,” says Robertson. “He’s an A and B student, and he came to every single workout this summer. He’s a kid that when its football season he eats, sleeps and breathes football, when its basketball season he eats, sleeps and breathes basketball and when its baseball season he eats, sleep and breathes baseball. So whatever season it is, that is his focus.
“He put in the hard work [during the offseason] and he understands what it means to be successful. His uncle played quarterback here, Dominique Sullivan, and went on to play at Southern Miss.”
What’s most impressive about Keyes is his completion percentage as a freshman. Through three games, he leads the team in offensive yards with 711 yards passing and five touchdowns with a completion rating of .606 (60.6 percent).
“He’s made some great plays and great reads, but he’s also made those freshman mistakes,” Robertson says. “But that is what you get with a kid who tries so hard to play his best.
“To say I’m pleased with him is an understatement. I knew he was going to be good, I just didn’t know he was going to be that good.”
Taylorsville puts its undefeated season on the line this Friday night in T-town as the Tartars host Seminary. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
