Hershel Dennis back to doing what he knows - winning football games

Ex-Long Beach Poly and USC standout went winless in first season as coach at Life Christian Academy in 2022 - but Eagles are off and flying this fall

TACOMA, Wash. - Update on Hershel Dennis: He has returned to his winning ways in football.

Dennis, the NCAA's all-time winningest football player (70 wins) after being a part of six Pacific-10 titles while at USC, became a head coach for the first time 18 months ago when he was hired to lead Life Christian Academy, a private downtown Class 1A program.

With a roster full of sophomores and ninth grader, Dennis and the Eagles went winless (0-7) during the 2022 season.

That, in itself, was a new experience for Dennis, who had lost a total of nine games while an All-American prep running back at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California - and his six seasons at USC.

"That was the first time I had gone winless," said Dennis, 39, adding the closest marker to that was when he was the running backs' coach at two-year Southwestern College - and the school registered one victory in 2017.

"But I understood my process here, and I had a different mindset. It doesn't mean I was ready for (all the losses) and would be able to handle it - but I handled it because I knew the potential of this program."

Well, Year 2 is going much different for the Eagles under their second-year coach, who are 4-1 and in contention for a 1A Nisqually League championship.

And all those young players that took lopsided losses? They have grown up quickly, understanding what Dennis' expectations are.

Because Dennis was hired in late winter of 2022, he felt he was playing organizational catch-up all offseason, from putting together a coaching staff, to figuring out his player personnel - and planning for spring ball, summer workouts and preseason camp.

"It's my first time head-coaching. I didn't know how to run a program yet," Dennis said. "So, this was the perfect scenario for me to come in and learn."

Last offseason, Dennis admits he was better prepared to handle incoming newcomers to football and how to bring them along - eventually mixing them in with a large group of returners.

"It just made the environment a lot better for football," Dennis said. "We were leaps and bounds better than last year."

The team still had to pick up its first win - and did with a 35-20 victory over Salem (Oregon) Academy.

How did Dennis celebrate his first career head-coaching win?

"To be honest, it was hard to enjoy the first one because during the game, we made so many mistakes," Dennis said. "We had 27 penalties, so I was pretty upset.

"But after I watched the film, I was like, 'We didn't look too bad.' It was easier to enjoy it after that."

The wins have kept piling up: Cle Elum/Roslyn, Klahowya and East Jefferson.

The offense is led by quarterback Jabez Boyd, a dual-threat sophomore who endured the hard knocks as a starter in 2022.

"The offense is geared toward his athletic ability, and he's done a great job of adapting and learning it," Dennis said.

There is youth everywhere in starting positions: The offensive line is made up of three sophomores. The defensive line has a sophomore and two ninth graders. The secondary has three sophomores. Two of the top wide receivers are sophomores, led by Julian Roso.

The Eagles only start two seniors - Sam Creveling at right guard and Dylan Martinson at outside linebacker.

The biggest difference, the kids are a little older, a little tougher and they've been around me a lot longer," Dennis said.

"With their confidence being so new, they really don't know their own expectation. But having a championship mentality, that is how we are preparing."

So, what if Dennis' second season had gone the way of what he endured in 2022?

He shook his head.

"If I had started (0-5), I wouldn't have been worried - I would have been exhausted," Dennis said. "I would start second-guessing myself that maybe I am not a really good coach."