Dixie County a pushover? Not anymore

By CAREY FREEMAN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 21, 2001

When asked to compare Dixie County to an opponent of recent years, the only name that seemed to suffice for Crystal River coach Jere DeFoor was Jefferson.

Fans who remember that 1999 playoff loss (26-7) know that isn't a good thing.

While it remains to be seen whether Dixie County can match Jefferson , this much is sure: The Bears are fast and dangerous.

Oddly enough, most in Crystal River would have written off this game two years ago. Back then -- before the arrival of Brent Wilkerson -- the Bears were as bad as it gets.

Before Wilkerson, Dixie County had never won a district title. In the 30 years prior to his arrival, Dixie County had never made the playoffs. In the final 15 years of that span, the Bears had not posted so much as a winning season.

Yep, things were looking pretty bad in Cross City. But now they're looking up thanks to a 33-year-old, third-year coach who can only be described as the savior of Dixie County football.

"I don't know what it is," said Wilkerson, who led the Bears to the Class 2A quarterfinals last season. "I guess certain coaches just fit well with certain jobs."

Script writers couldn't have written a better fit between coach and school. Wilkerson was born and reared in nearby Trenton. Like the kids he coaches, he enjoyed the simple things in life, stuff like water skiing on the Suwannee River or hunting deer and hogs in the pine forests of northern Florida.

Wilkerson related to those he coaches and could motivate them. He's 18-6, including two playoff berths and a 2000 district championship, since taking over in 1999.

Now Dixie County is a team to be feared.

"They've got good athletes that can get out on the field and make things happen," DeFoor said.

Wilkerson's stable of athletes starts with all-state junior running back/wide receiver Jeremy Carter and ends with freshman running back Paul O'Hara, who had 283 yards and 6 touchdowns last week in the first half of a 73-24 win over Ocala West Port. In between are a handful of talented players, including quarterback Justin Teague, who is "just as good a runner as the rest," according to DeFoor.

But it takes more than athletes to build a program. It also takes dedication, both in terms of coaching and revving up the support of the community.

One of Wilkerson's first steps was to change the attitudes of his players.

"My predecessor didn't believe in contact in practice," Wilkerson said. "I believe that if you don't learn to hit in practice, you won't during the game. Hitting breeds hitting and I think that helped us."

Another was to renovate the Bears' workout facilities, which he called among the worst he's ever seen, and invigorate the fans.

Wilkerson had to be part coach and part politician. He hit the streets and pressed the flesh with as many members of the community as possible to raise interest and money..

Now the Bears have a new 3,500-square-foot weight room that would be the envy of any program in North Florida.

And thanks to Wilkerson, Dixie County has a team to match it.

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