The Lake Taylor Titans have enjoyed considerable success on the gridiron over the years. The man that paved the way from the very beginning for what is considered one of the state's powerhouses passed away on Saturday.
Bert Harrell, who was the first ever Head Football Coach for the Titans back in 1967, took his final breath on Saturday, September 5, 2020 at the age of 82.
Among the many affected dearly by the loss is current Lake Taylor Head Coach Hank Sawyer, who has led the Titans to unprecedented heights with three State Championships, their most recent one coming last December in a 34-14 win over Tuscarora for the Class 4 crown.
"Bert Harrell gave me my first Head Football Coaching job. He mentored me, checked on me, told me what to run, why it would work and praised me for my success," stated Sawyer sporting a career record of 203-53 overall in 21 seasons since his arrival to the program in 1999.
Lake Taylor has been called home to several NFL players over the years - names such as running back Amos Lawrence, linebackers Tommy Graves and Marvin Mitchell, defensive back Mike Tyson, and now defensive end Jalyn Holmes of the Minnesota Vikings. They're not only known for producing stellar talent and capturing titles, football followers around the Commonwealth are quite familiar with the Titans and their twin-veer offense.
The Lake Taylor veer was first installed by Harrell and continued on beyond him with Head Coach Billy Morrow from 1979-91, and remains a staple to this day under Sawyer.
"It's the veer. It's like Novocaine. Give it time, it always works," Sawyer has previously stated of their attack, so effective that they've routinely ranked among the top scoring offenses in the state and finished below the .500 mark only once - a 4-6 record in 2004 - dating back to the past 23 seasons.
Harrell coached the Titans for 16 seasons, beginning from 1967-78 and again from 1992-95. His teams produced a record of 99-58-4. After his time coaching, he moved into the role of Athletic Director for a decade, then took on the position he'd call a "huge challenge," at the time of Director of Athletics for Norfolk Public Schools.
Lake Taylor held a press box dedication ceremony in October of 2019, recognizing Harrell, Morrow and Sawyer, all of whom have achieved numerous winning seasons along with district titles.
"It's amazing what can be accomplished when you don't care who gets the credit," Sawyer added. "The loss hurts deeply because he cared and he showed he did constantly. Heaven just got a good one."
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him on 757 Saturday Sports Talk from 10 AM to Noon on ESPN Radio 94.1.
