From the first day of Tom Thome’s coaching career at Amherst, never did he mention two years of winless football. He brought consistent positivity to the program.
Thome brought his wisdom, cultivated during his coaching tenure at Lakewood, into the Comets’ locker room, with steady persistence of self-improvement. After winning in Week 1, Amherst is experiencing the benefits of the process he learned years ago.
“I was kind of naïve (at Lakewood) and probably a little arrogant, coming off of my success at (Stow-Monroe Falls) and Twinsburg (as an assistant coach),” he said. “I really thought that I would go to this place and we are going to turn it around tomorrow. My experience at Lakewood really shaped what I am doing (at Amherst). If your message is winning games, you are not doing it correctly. We need to get better every day and we need to say ‘Hey, let’s get better today.”
Thome coached at Lakewood for five years. He remembered how he used to approach his games, more so about preparing for the opponent, such as Garfield Heights, which defeated Lakewood, 42-0, in his first game. His focus shifted toward making the team the best version of itself.
Amherst football: Comets erase three-TD deficit to end 21-game losing streak
"When I was at Lakewood, I was thinking 'What do we need to do to beat (Garfield Heights)?' That amazing team went 11-1," he said. "I really learned from that experience that (building a program) is really a process, and I know that I a lot of coaches say that. But you really have to focus on daily successes, getting better every day and (growing) confidence."
Successful programs aren't built in a day, and neither will Thome's at Amherst. Upon his arrival, the Comets had to master the basics, before mentioning the Southwestern Conference, which he regarded as one of the best football conferences in Northeast Ohio.
"We play in arguably the hardest conference in Northeast Ohio. We have to work on things that other schools aren't working on," Thome said. "We need to get better at little things, before we start (looking at the SWC). When I got here at Jan. 3, I said that we have to get better at our fundamentals at lifting and then when we started to do our passing. It was basics of football 101."
Amherst had success on both sides of the ball against Copley. The defense forces five turnovers and shut out the Indians for the final three quarters. The offense showcased a balanced attack. Running back J.R. Bires rushed for 243 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Cole Norris threw for three touchdowns.
Amherst will roll into Week 2 with some momentum, which hasn't happened in a while. Thome's approach remains the same as they prepare against Medina Buckeye. One of his main focuses will be to perform better at the start.
"We are trying to get better every day. We have a huge task in Buckeye," he said. "We have to get significantly better this week. We can't spot Buckeye 21 points, I can tell you that for a fact. The message is to stay positive and don't get down."
The Bucks will come into Amherst 1-0, after they defeated Cloverleaf, 34-0, on the road.
