Caroline coaches feel right at home

By Jeff Say

Published: October 4, 2008

Most road teams have a hard time adjusting to playing on the road. But for Caroline County Friday night, it was just like home - probably because Culpeper is home to the Cavalier’s head and assistant coach.

Former Culpeper County School Board member Bobby Jenkins and his brother, Culpeper Town Councilman Steve Jenkins, brought their Cavaliers into Cyclone Stadium and withheld the windstorm for a 15-12 victory.

For Steve Jenkins, it posed an interesting dilemma.

His son, sophomore Cody Jenkins, is Eastern View’s junior varsity quarterback. So looking over at the opposing sidelines, Steve saw a familiar face looking back. But having grown up in Culpeper, taught and coached here, he saw a lot of familiar faces.

“It’s been harder than I thought it would be,” Steve Jenkins said.

“Not just my son, but Stevie (Strother), Cody Whitlock, I’ve known them all their lives. I root for them. Other than this Friday, I’m an Eastern View dad. I think Eastern View is going to win a lot of games.”

And like any proud papa, Steve was glowing about his son’s performance this season on the JV team. Cody Jenkins has thrown for 19 touchdowns to lead the young Cylcones to an undefeated record.

“Cody and the JV team are doing extraordinary,” Steve said.

So what was the dinner table conversation like Thursday night, the eve of the big game?

“His biggest thing was going hunting tomorrow,” Steve said with a laugh.

Yep, instead of talking X’s and O’s, the father-son duo talked bows.

They were planning on doing some deer hunting Saturday, and couldn’t wait.

It was business as usual as well for Bobby Jenkins. The brothers had come back to Culpeper in 2006 for a scrimmage and they’ve been scrimmaging the Blue Devils for the past few years, but to get a Battlefield District win over a Culpeper team was a different feeling for Bobby.

But coming back, felt, well natural.

“Really as far as coming back, I still live here, I still have a home here. That part doesn’t interfere with anything,” Bobby said.

Jenkins gave glowing reviews of Culpeper’s football programs, singling out the two coaches with praise.

“I think a lot of (EVHS head coach) Greg Hatfield,” Bobby said. “He’s a good young man and a great coach. The one I feel the most sorry for is (CCHS head coach) Greg Martz, because I know Greg is really trying hard. You know when you open a new school everyone is going to jump boat and float the other way. They’re a good football team and they’re going to get better.”

Culpeper is 0-5 this season, playing a tough Class AAA Cedar Run District schedule when, in reality, they are now a Class AA team.

And after getting the win over the Cyclones, does that make Bobby any more proud of his team since they helped him come into his home town and walk away with a victory?

“I’ve been proud of this team the whole way through, they’ve hung in there in a lot of tough situations,” Bobby Jenkins said.

“Tonight was a different mode because they weren’t in sync. Maybe they were trying so hard because they knew I was coming back. I wasn’t as worried about it as they were. We’ll take the win and we’re glad we got it.”

Jeff Say can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 115 or at