Sequoyah head football coach Sid Maxwell has already logged 18 years as head coach of the Chiefs. Yet his 19th year may prove to be the most emotional. On May 29 of this year, defensive coach Ray Face lost his battle with cancer at the age of 61. His death was a major blow to a program that had grown to love his unflagging resolve to play the game the way it should be played.
In perhaps the most telling indication of Face’s impact on the Chiefs, Maxwell spoke of his long-time assistant, and once an opposing head coach, in the present tense saying, “He’s a throwback football coach from the old days. He demands perfection.”
Face was a vocal leader. His raspy voice still rings in Maxwell’s ears, as he thinks about the coach taking young players to task. But Face also led by example. He was often the first one in and the last one to leave. In the years preceding his death, Face underwent two hip replacement surgeries. He was in so much pain that he could barely walk, let alone bend over. Sometimes he would end up on all fours in the process of trying to bend down, but he refused to quit. It doesn’t seem like a huge deal, until you realize that Face coached the defensive line and placed footballs on the ground over and over and over again during practices.
As his cancer progressed, Face fought through the pain and nausea of chemotherapy just to be on the field. He worked closely with doctors, giving himself every chance to make it through the season. And although he lost close to 100 pounds, as Maxwell recounted, “Nothing changed in his heart or in his voice.”
Face retired in January but the coaching staff still came by to bring him to the school and make sure he was part of the community. Face passed away on the final day of the 2007-08 school year.
REMEMBERING A FACE
The Chiefs have dedicated this season to the memory of Ray Face. Each season Maxwell looks for a motto to keep the players focused on team goals. This year, Maxwell chose a motto that is as touching as it is poignant: Face the Challenge. Maxwell has asked his players to remember to find greatness through serving others, just as Face helped the Chiefs even in the most painful and trying moments of his own life.
Face reminded the players to put team accomplishments before that of the individual. That sentiment will not be lost on the Chiefs, who face a tough Region 7A-AAAA schedule. Sequoyah will have to play as a team and overcome a number of senior-laden opponents if they are going to make it to the playoffs.
Last year the team came up short on a handful of big plays, turning a promising 2-1 start into a 4-6 season. This year the big plays seem to be coming from Maxwell’s playbook. The Chiefs have started the season 3-0, including a gritty double-overtime win against Creekview that came on the strength of a blocked extra point. “Coach Face might have had a hand in that one,” says Maxwell, proving Face will never be too far from the Chiefs’ hearts or minds.
Lentz can be reached at zlentz@scoreatl.com.
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