Well traveled Texas high school football coach Randy Jackson seems to enjoy the challenge of rebuilding football programs that are going through hard times. Such a situation brought him to North Forney in 2017. The Wildcats wrap up district play Friday night (November 9) in Forney against North Forney.
After a strong 2017 season, the Falcons have fallen on hard times this season. They are 3-6 overall and are 2-5 in district play. They are out of the playoff picture. Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens believes the Falcons may have six athletes playing college ball off of last year’s stellar team.
The injury bug has also impacted the Falcons. For the season’s first six games, North Forney was led by quarterback Jaylin Smith. He injured his shoulder and now is attempting to help the team as a wide receiver.
Coach Owens remembers meeting Coach Jackson and his wife at a coaches retreat just before he came to Sulphur Springs in 2006. Coach Jackson was at Lone Oak at the time and already had several former locations on his resume. Coach Jackson is in his second year at North Forney. Prior to that he was at Grapevine for three seasons. He spent the 2013 season at Plano East. Coach Jackson is credited with turning around the Mesquite Poteet program coaching there in 2010-2012. He was at Lone Oak from 2004 through 2009. Coach Jackson also coached at Dekalb, Mason, Paducah and West Mesquite. Coach Jackson also wrote a book in 2016 entitled Culture Defeats Strategy: 7 Lessons on Leadership From a Texas High School Football Coach.
