MARSHVILLE, N.C. — A local football coach is making it his mission to draw up game-changing plays for his students both on and off the field.
Coach Jammie Deese at Forest Hills High School in Marshville is turning things around for his program, with more than 20 of his players now holding a 4.0 GPA or higher.
Coach Deese goes above and beyond his coaching duties and really emphasizes the word “student” in “student-athlete” for his players and setting them up for success beyond their playing days.
“[What] I'm trying to get kids to understand is, you know, there's a greater importance than just playing football," Deese said.
He's more than just a football coach, but a life-changing mentor. Coach Deese started coaching football at Forest Hills back in 2020. As much as he enjoys building success on the field, he’s stressing to every one of his players that there’s more to life.
“We try to tell them are the building blocks for your future," Deese said. "What's your vision? What's your plan? You got to live in this moment in order for those things to come, you know, to reality. So we always stress about living it and just winning that day."
Deese's key to drawing up game-changing plays is maintaining accountability.
“If I see a disparity where guys are finishing assignments, turning in assignments, they're missing assignments, I'm right away, reaching out to them and connecting with them, 'hey, what's going on?” Deese explained.
The strategy is working. His team maintains an average GPA of 3.51 with more than 20 kids achieving a 4.0 or higher.
These are numbers that parent Ulunda Baker can be proud of.
Baker said her son is "focused on their academics, making sure that they're not just accountable, but really just enjoying what they learn and knowing that this is a lifelong journey.”
Deese hopes to build a strong clear future for the next generation.
“To put together a product that the community has a sense of pride about, in that our kids walk around this campus, this community, to wherever their future endeavors lie, and they can have a sense, of pride about themselves and what they're capable of."
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.