It was anything but a typical start to the season for a proud Garland Owls football program.
Disastrous might be a better description. Four games resulted in four defeats — and most weren't close. The Owls were outscored 143-55.
But when District 11-5A games began in Week 5,
Garland dug deep and found its stride.
Jeff Jordan, Garland coach
Photo by Lonnie Erickson
A five-game winning streak has Garland right where it wanted to be all along, with a playoff berth and the district title secured going into the final game of the regular season.
In recognition of orchestrating the midseason turnaround, Garland coach Jeff Jordan was selected as the Dallas area Coach of the Week presented by Comerica Bank.
"It was a growing process for us early and we were playing some very good football teams,'' Jordan said. "Even though our guys had been successful at the younger levels, we had to learn how to play at the Class 5A level. I'm really proud of the way they kept working and believing. I've told our seniors how much I appreciate them. Not every group could survive a start like we had.''
Jordan said he learned a long time ago that the correct approach is to keep the players built up when things aren't going their way.
"The biggest area is the mental side,'' Jordan said. "The players are being asked from the outside what's wrong and doubts begin to creep in for everybody. But when you win a few, they're bulletproof again and back on top of the world.''
Thrilling finishes have become a staple of Garland's run to the title.
In the district opener, the Owls defense held off a couple of late threats in a 30-23 victory over Lakeview Centennial (Garland). A week later, a 7-yard touchdown run by
Jaharrad Haskins with 2:27 to play carried the Owls to a 26-21 victory over Rowlett.
The following week, Garland cut it much closer when it edged Sachse 23-21. Ja'Taveon Green's 3-yard winning touchdown run came with eight seconds on the clock. Garland's rally followed a Sachse go-ahead touchdown with 1:54 remaining.
In a 34-25 win over South Garland,
Green filled in at quarterback because of an injury and completed 6-of-7 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Operating from the Wildcat formation, Green carried the ball 29 times for 155 rushing yards and two scores.
"Over the years, we've won a lot of close ones,'' Jordan said. "We sell our kids on finding a way to win in the fourth quarter.''
Last week's district title clincher, a 33-14 defeat of Naaman Forest (Garland), deviated from the script. The Owls had this game wrapped up in the third quarter. Running back
E'Lon Green (no relation to Ja‘Taveon) rushed for 123 yards and four touchdowns to lead Garland.
Jordan, in his 12th season, is the longest tenured Garland High head coach. His teams have qualified for the playoffs 10 times. Before becoming the top man, he was an assistant at Garland for 13 years.
Jordan credits his predecessor, Joe Martin, as a big influence on his career. Jordan was defensive coordinator on Martin's 1999 Garland team that won the Class 5A Division II state title.
"Joe taught me a whole different way to relate to football and it changed fortunes for me,'' Jordan said.
Important support for Jordan comes from wife Shannon and two daughters, Abby, 21, and Carly, 15.
In his high school playing days, Jordan was a defensive lineman at Amarillo High. He was a walk-on at Texas A&M and a member of the Aggies' 1985 Southwest Conference championship team.
Jordan is a member of the Garland Sports Hall of Fame and has worked as an in-house scout for the Dallas Cowboys for the last 25 years.
Garland (5-4, 5-0 in District 11-5A) can post a second straight unbeaten district record with a win over North Garland (1-8, 0-5) on Thursday. Garland carries a 20-year winning streak versus North Garland into the game.
For Jordan and his team, the old saying has never had more meaning: It's how you finish — not how you start.
