Jon Rooklidge is no stranger to the Tiger Stadium sideline.
After spending the last 28 years as an assistant coach, Rooklidge is now the head coach at Centralia.
And after an 0-9 season last fall where the Tigers were outscored 335-65, he is hoping to bring back some of the things that have historically led them to success.
“I’ve been here when it was good, I’ve been here when it was great,” Rooklidge said, pointing to the banners at the top of the bleachers. “We want to bring the program back to competitiveness and give the community something to feel good about.”
His quest began on Wednesday, as the Tigers took the field for the first time this summer to open camp.
While he acknowledged that the first day is never going to be perfect, he was pleased with how his players listened and grasped onto some of the concepts he and his assistants threw at them.
“If you can listen, if you can try to grasp simple concepts, that’s what you're after,” Rooklidge said. And we saw evidence that you did. If you can walk away and say ‘Hey, there was progress in some aspect of the game,’ that’s what you’re looking for.”
He added that the more work and progress they make over the next two weeks, the more likely it is they can erase the “goose egg” in the win column.
Many returning players from last season’s team saw significant playing time last season, and Rooklidge said it was important that they saw the field last fall, even if they struggled at times.
He also noted that despite their final record, the Tigers were competitive in some of their games, and a focus and attention to detail could end up being the difference between a game getting out of hand or coming down to the wire this fall.
“We play in a tough league and we had a number of things go against us,” Rooklidge said. “We’ve got room to grow and that’s our emphasis. That’s our mindset. Can we grow every day and can we get better every day.”
Rooklidge will be relying on two returning quarterbacks, Landen Jenkins and Terrell Sanders, to lead his offense this season.
Both of them saw playing time last season, and Rooklidge says he is comfortable with either quarterback and he expects both of them to see the field this fall as well.
While the Tigers have two QBs capable of leading the team on the field, they do not have as much depth at other positions.
Rooklidge cited that the lack of depth is a concern. Last season, several injuries popped up and the product on the field suffered because of it.
“There’s a point where (if) we get injuries and things like that, that would be troubling to us,” Rooklidge said.
Regardless of the final record, however, Rooklidge’s goals in year one are simple. He takes pride in the team and his community, and he wants to give back to the community he said has given him so much over the years.
“I want to give these kids the chance to be successful,” Rooklidge said. “It’s been rough the last few (years). I’d love to see this program make strides forward. I want that for our community.”
