Just two years into his tenure as West Lauderdale’s head football coach, Brock Clay has overseen back-to-back successful runs by the Knights in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

After beginning the 2017 season 0-3, West Lauderdale finished the regular season 7-1 and made it to the second round of the MHSAA Class 4A postseason. This past year, Clay’s team finished 12-2 — 5-0 in Region 5-4A — and made it to the third round of the playoffs. 

Because of his successful 2018 campaign, Clay was named the Premier Preps Presented by Mississippi Power Football Coach of the Year.

“It’s an extreme honor,” Clay said. “I can’t express my amazement. I’m very proud and honored.”

Clay credited his coaching staff for much of the success: offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Daniel Knox, defensive coordinator Daniel Young, special teams and defensive backs coach Daniel Calvert, offensive skill players coach Jordan Wren, defensive line coach Hunter Irons, tight ends coach Bill Clay and wide receivers coach Tyler Turnage.

“I’ve learned some things I didn’t know the first time I was a head coach,” Clay said. “I didn’t have the luxury then, but I’ve learned that I can’t do everything myself and be in control of everything, and I think that’s the biggest mistake a lot of coaches make, in that they feel like they have to do that. I don’t do everything — a lot of the bulk is on the guys under me.”

He also said the West Lauderdale players are a pleasure to coach because of their ability to self motivate.

“The coaches I work with and players on the team last year and even the group we have coming back, the mindset and work ethic is still the same,” Clay explained. “A lot of coaches have to beg for hustle and effort, and that’s not one of the things we’ve had to do. The biggest credit I can give is that I happen to be in the driver’s seat with a great set of coaches and team unity.”

The combination of self-motivated players and a strong support staff have provided the perfect ingredients for sustained success over Clay’s young tenure.

“Everything we do is maximum effort,” Clay said. “We have to work harder than other people, coaches included. We have an extremely small staff when it comes to paid coaches at the 4A level. West Lauderdale has had the success it’s had because of the coaching staff and players.”

Even though it always feels like the Knights graduate irreplaceable players after each season, so far, it hasn’t caused a drop-off in expectations.

“We’ve had some really big classes as far as football players go,” Clay said. “The lowest we’ve had up until next year has been 18, so we’ve been graduating 18 to 25 seniors a year. As long as you have those coming up, it’s easy to work back into that particular aspect.”

That will change next season, Clay said, because there will only be approximately 20 upperclassmen on the 2019 Knights’ roster.

“It’s not something that’s just taken place; they’ve been that way since those classes were in the seventh and eighth grade,” Clay said. “Next year’s senior class has I think nine (players), and then it’s 11 or 12 in the junior class.”

In addition to the work ethic having to remain, Clay said he will lean heavily on his most experienced unit, the offensive line, this fall.

“We only have four kids returning at the offensive and defensive skill positions other than defensive line,” Clay said. “It’s difficult to say this is what we’ll do because so many of these kids haven’t been seen yet (in starting roles).”