Published: 12:00 AM, Tue Nov 27, 2012
Britt, Butler football coaches show contrast in styles
RALEIGH - The differences between Jack Britt coach Brian Rimpf and his latest adversary, Matthews Butler coach Brian Hales, were in stark relief Monday at N.C. State's Vaughn Towers.
There, at the site of the NCHSAA football state championships press conference, both coaches, along with the coaching staffs of the other 14 finalists, talked about their teams as they prepare to meet in Saturday's 4-AA state championship game.
The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. at UNC's Kenan Stadium.
Rimpf and Hales had distinctly different approaches to discussing their teams.
Where Rimpf was intuitive, Hales was analytical. While the Bulldogs coach ran through a series of season statistics, Rimpf focused on the Buccaneers' heart and effort.
"I think this is an attitude," said Rimpf, who is in his first year at Britt. "Our guys really believe, and we've talked about it all year, that one unit will have to bail another out in a game. It might be an offensive game or a defensive game, but that's what happens."
That kind of attitude explains Britt's success in contrasting games the past two weeks when it outgunned Richmond Senior 56-52 in the third round before overtaking Garner 14-8 in the Eastern final.
While the Bucs have been all over the place offensively and defensively, the Bulldogs have simply dominated the opposition on both sides of the ball.
Undefeated Butler has cruised through the season, outscoring opponents 634-100 in 14 games.
The Bulldogs' defense has been particularly dominant.
"We've got five shutouts, and over the season we've given up 7 1/2points a game," Hales said. "During our conference season, our defense and special teams actually scored more points than they gave up."
The defense is anchored by Peter Kalambayi, who is one of five Division I commitments and a finalist for the Butkus Award, which recognizes the nation's top prep linebacker.
Surely, the most important number Butler carries with it into Saturday's game is two - the number of state championships it's won in three years, the first of which came in 2009 against Jack Britt.
If the coaches are distinct in how they assess their teams, one similarity between them is that each man believes his team is ready for the final test of the season.
"Our kids, they don't need any extra motivation for a state championship game," Hales said.
Rimpf said the Bucs have had the championship game in their sights since the start of the season.
"We talked about getting here since the summer," Rimpf said. "We've tried to keep our focus on each individual week, but our expectations led us to the point."
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at 609-0651 or shambaughj@fayobserver.com.