Why Zach Schrandt changed his mind, returned to coach Gatlinburg-Pittman to TSSAA soccer title
MURFREESBORO — On May 25, 2023, a day after Gatlinburg-Pittman boys soccer fell in the TSSAA state tournament semifinals to Madison Magnet, Zach Schrandt announced he was stepping down as the Highlanders' coach. A month later, he reversed course.
Prior to Friday's Class 1A championship game against Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, Schrandt told his team that regardless of the result, he had no regrets about his decision to come back for 2024.
"I was gonna be happy because of the journey," Schrandt said. "That moment is awesome when you win it, but the journey is what it's all about."
On Friday, almost exactly a year to the date of his resignation, Schrandt raised his right fist in the air while watching the seconds tick away, barely waiting for 0:00 to appear on the clock before sprinting onto the field. The journey was already worth it. The final moment just made it sweeter.
Gatlinburg-Pittman beat CSAS 2-1 at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex to win its third state championship since 2018. Eli Colbert and Brandon Martinez, the game's MVP, converted penalty kicks in the second half and the Highlanders (16-3-2) desperately defended for the final 20 minutes to seal the victory.
"It's the day-in, day-out grind," Schrandt said. "The last five days, we've been in hotel rooms together and just having conversations, just sitting and talking. Last night, I can't remember what we're talking about, we were watching old videos. Some of them were made from when they were eight years old. That's why I'm so proud and happy I came back. ... Win, lose or draw, I had a blast coaching this year's team."
Last June, Gatlinburg-Pittman principal AJ Bennett tried to convince Schrandt to return. He laid out his case to Schrandt: how his kids, ages three and six, were both a part of the program; how much energy and love Schrandt had poured into the program and its players; how he needed to come back for them.
"To keep it at this level is a huge sacrifice to the family," Schrandt said. "Ultimately, I let my wife kind of make the decision. We said we'd do this year and kind of see from there."
The game was scoreless at halftime. Schrandt thought his team had been too passive in the first half, and told them if they got more aggressive in the final third, good things would happen. It took just two minutes for the Highlanders to prove their coach right.
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Colbert, who scored the game-winning penalty kick in the 2022 title game, fired his 43rd-minute penalty into the top left corner — the same place he shot two years ago. Ten minutes later, Martinez — who passed up a penalty attempt in Tuesday's quarterfinal shootout against Independence Academy — overcame what Schrandt described as a "mental roadblock" to put Gatlinburg-Pittman ahead 2-0.
"I wanted it to end (with Martinez)," Schrandt said. "I had no doubt. I knew he could hit it."
Sometime this summer, Schrandt and his wife will sit down again to talk about the future. He thinks that conversation will soon become an annual one. This year, though, his mind's in a much different place.
"My intention is to come back and do it one more time with this group of guys," Schrandt said. "That's my intention right now. I think it's like a calling, a passion."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TSSAA soccer: Gatlinburg-Pittman wins third state title since 2018
