| Photo by Tommy Rouse |
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| Coach Jeff Porter holds the plaque commemorating his 200th win |
Blue Devils earn
200th win for head coach Jeff Porter
By Luke Williams
Connection Sports
As the horn sounded for the final second of White House’s 39-0 victory over Chattanooga East
Ridge, the crowd responded with hundreds of signs waving in the air showing “200” in White House blue.
For head coach Jeff Porter, his 200th
win came in his 22nd season at the helm of the Blue Devils against just 73 losses, easily ranking him among the
most successful active head coaches in the entire state of Tennessee. Porter was honored with a plaque on the field from Principal Jeff Cordell, and
surrounded by the entire senior class as he was preparing for an interview with Randy Cline and Lee Smith of the Blue Devil
Network.
“Please join us in congratulating
a great man, a class act, and our favorite Blue Devil – head coach Jeff Porter on his 200th win,” rang
the voice of public address announcer Eddie Ray Anderson.
Coach Porter and his wife Elizabeth have been married for over 20 years and are proud to reside
in White House with daughters Haley and Lacey throughout a brilliant, yet humble coaching career at the helm of Blue Devil
Pride. He has coached 21 teams to the playoffs in 22 years, including 11 trips to the quarterfinals, five trips to the semifinals
and one Class 3-A state championship victory in 1997. His teams have had eight region or district championships in that same
span and averaged 9.1 wins per season.
“The most important thing for us tonight is that we get to play next week in another round, and
that’s all we talked about with the kids,” Porter said. “It was very humbling what the people did here tonight,
and I’m just appreciative of the opportunity I have to work with the gentlemen on this coaching staff every day, the
players we’ve had and have in our program, and for our community – you just can’t say enough.
“But at the forefront of something
like this, you think of your family and what they mean to you. I appreciate so much the sacrifices that my family has made,
and not just my family, but all coaches’ families.”
While Porter would always be quick in humility to deflect the attention from himself – and
especially to focus on a first-round playoff game, his players were certainly aware of the importance of the night.
“We talked about it before the game
and we wanted to go out and win this game for Coach Porter,” said senior kicker Matthew Gossett. “We’re
blessed to have him as a head coach and he deserves this for what he does for us.”
Senior tight end Zach Duty caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter to help
the Blue Devils knock off East Ridge in the opening round.
“It was great to get a touchdown catch and help in some way for the seniors to get this win for
Coach Porter,” Duty said. “He’s a great coach and we’re glad to be able to get this win for him.”
Senior fullback and linebacker Cody Allen,
like Duty, was a key on both sides of the ball as the Blue Devils recorded their first shutout of their career and the first
for the program since the 14-0 Overton playoff game of 2004.
“Having a great coach like Coach Porter, it feels great to win and get his name out there
for what he does for us,” Allen said.
While Porter’s record sits at 200-73, the Blue Devils are 10-1 and advance to the second round of
the playoffs for a rematch with DeKalb County next week, as White House returns to Dewey H. Whitson Stadium for another playoff game.
“There are so many great people that
I think of on a night like this,” Porter said. “Our kids make great sacrifices, our parents make great sacrifices
and our community makes great sacrifices to help us all enjoy this. And the best thing about it all is that we get to play
next Friday night.”
