There is something special about coming home.
For Swainsboro High School Head Football Coach Dwight Smith and Emanuel County Institute Head Football Coach Chad Harper, the schools and football programs they lead are the same ones that helped shape them years ago as students and players.
Both coaches know what it means to walk the halls of their respective schools, put on the uniform and take the field representing their communities. Today, they have the opportunity to provide that same experience and many of the same lessons to a new generation of student-athletes.
“This is home,” Smith said. “I grew up in Swainsboro, walked the halls of Swainsboro High School, played on Tiger Field, and had coaches and teachers who helped shape me into the person I am today.” For Smith, returning as head coach is an opportunity to “pour into the next generation” and build something the Swainsboro community can be proud of.
Harper has a similar connection with ECI, where he has coached football for 30 years after once being a student and player. “I understand the pride that comes from wearing the Red and White and representing the community,” Harper said. “Every day, I want to make sure that I’m building a program that our school, our families, and our community can be proud of.”
For both coaches, their responsibilities go beyond wins and losses.
Smith’s experiences as a student-athlete taught him the lasting impact a coach can have beyond the football field. He aims to coach his players “as young men first and football players second,” offering the same positive influences and opportunities that shaped him.
Harper echoed this view, emphasizing the hard work, discipline and accountability football instills. He aims to hold ECI players to high expectations and standards that will benefit them long after their playing days.
When ECI and SHS meet on the football field this Thursday, there will be a special connection on both sidelines: two men who grew up in these communities and once played for these schools now lead the programs they once represented.
For Smith and Harper, this is a full-circle opportunity to give back to the schools, programs and communities that once invested in them.
