Hits differently: Gordon's Reed winning state title means a little more this time around
ARLINGTON — There was a time Mike Reed couldn’t win the big one.
Not when he was at Rule. Not when he started out at Throckmorton.
“I’m telling you, we joke about it because I thought I was going to be the Marv Levy of six-man football after losing three in a row,” Reed said Wednesday afternoon inside AT&T Stadium.
That feels like such a long time ago, especially after Reed guided his hometown of Gordon to an impressive 70-20 victory over two-time defending champion Westbrook in the Class A Division I title game.
The sophomore-heavy Longhorns gave Reed his third state career championship more than a decade after he finally broke through at Throckmorton with back-to-back titles in 2011-12.
This one undoubtedly hit differently for Reed, too. It hit differently because it came at his alma mater, the place where legendary coach Nelson Campbell helped shape him into the man he’s become today.
It hit differently because his wife Michelle is also on his staff, his daughter Payton is a senior cheerleader and because his sophomore son Stryker was one of the team’s gamechangers at running back.
It hit differently because it was the six-man powerhouse’s first state championship since a 1999 win over Groom at the Mustang Bowl.
“I think the people know that even if they don’t agree with what I say or what I do, they know it’s always coming from a good place and good intentions,” Reed said about coaching in his hometown. “And they support that. Having that support and trust because I’m from Gordon, my wife’s from Gordon. They know where it’s rooted from.”
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Stryker Reed had a strong performance in his first title game, rushing for 94 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for another score. Sometimes Stryker walks around the house and notices his father’s rings by the nightstand. He now has helped that collection increase.
“It’s more my coach sitting beside me right now,” Stryker said. “My dad kissed me on the cheek and sent me off, and my coach gave me a ride to the fieldhouse. It still feels good, and I’m glad he got another championship.”
Reed’s head coaching career began at Rule in 2002 where his Bobcats fell to Richland Springs in the 2006-07 Division I championship games. He moved to Throckmorton where the Greyhounds barely lost to Garden City in the 2009 quarterfinals and again in the 2010 Division I title game.
After his two titles with the Greyhounds, Reed coached one more seasson at Throckmorton before a foray into 11-man Hamilton that lasted four uneventful years.
Reed came back to Gordon in 2018 and has averaged 10 wins per season since returning home. His 192 six-man victories rank 16th all-time, and while he’s still got a long way to go catch Balmorhea’s Vance Jones (who hit the 300-win mark this year), it’s not inconceivable to think of Reed making a run at the record.
Then again, maybe not.
“Some of these guys are putting in 40 years to get their wins where they’re at. Listen, I don’t want a record that bad,” Reed said. “I love education, I love kids. When my son walks the stage, I’ll sit back and talk with the family, see where the next step is. If it’s continuing in Gordon, I’d love that.”
Stryker’s not walking the stage anytime soon. The same goes guys for the likes of Class A Division I Offensive MVP Riley Reed (no relation), Defensive MVP Kaden Crowe and Brayden Walters.
Reed may have waited a decade for his first title and waited another decade-plus for his most recent one, but the next gap could be shortened quite a bit.
The talk before Wednesday’s showdown was that Gordon could be a year away from gold. A 50-point victory later, and now the talk is about the Longhorns reeling off a three-peat.
While some of his colleagues would downplay that chatter, Reed is just fine with it.
“That’s the fun thing about it, that people that sit back and talk about it. It’s going to give the town hope, give them something to push for,” Reed said. “It helps keep kids accountable. They know we’re going to humble them pretty quickly.”
Reed should know. After all, he was humbled quite a bit starting out.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Gordon's Mike Reed relishes UIL state title in hometown
