A Remembrance for Coach Emmart

“Coach Is…” 

By Matthew Bass

Coach isn’t just X’s and O’s
Coach isn’t just go hard or go home

Coach is you and I, eye to eye
No lies, only truth between us
Stand up like you mean it
And don’t ever tell me it can’t be done

Coach is we do this together 
You know there is no “I” in team 
Just like there is no “I” in dream
And we live and dream this together
As a team

Coach is whatever you need
Whenever you need it
We hold each other 
Accountable at all times

Coach is hear me now, loud and clear
No such thing as fear
We are crystal clear in our purpose
Out here under the lights nothing can hurt us

Coach is parent, teacher, leader
Part-time babysitter, friend, and mentor
Coach is the voice that echoes across decades

Coach is still Coach when you see them years later
So, when Coach unexpectedly departs
This game of life too soon, the void is great

But Coach is and always will be
No matter the odds, or how tough it may seem
Get it together, play on

Because Coach is I got you, this team’s got you
These people got you, forever
Gone is not forgotten
So rest easy now, Coach Emmart
We got you.

Clarke County Board of Supervisors member Matthew Bass is a 2002 graduate of Clarke County High School, where as a student athlete (baseball/golf) he witnessed firsthand the formation of an iconic coaching brotherhood that endures to this day and mourns the loss of one its foundational members, Coach Brent Emmart.