High expectations greet first-year Kingdom Prep football coach Peter Griffith
Peter Griffith knows Kingdom Prep has had a good thing going with its football program. He joked he is simply trying not to mess up things.
Griffith, a former player for the Warriors, steps in as head coach following the team's 10-3 season. With a pair of key returners and a preseason state ranking, expectations couldn't be higher.
"We have a lot of pieces around me, fortunately," Griffith said, "that make it to where all I have to do is … do my best to make sure that we keep along the same road that we've been on."
Ben Lashaway is a big reason for the early hype. The senior running back/linebacker was an all-state performer last season and will look for an encore with No. 8 Kingdom Prep. He ran for 1,943 yards and 33 touchdowns, with 28 catches for 400 yards and eight more scores.
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"He's just a warrior when it comes to the football field and when it comes to life," Griffith said. "He's a tremendous leader. And man, you either get the ball in his hands, or you put him in a situation where he's got to make a stop, and I'm going to take that matchup. I don't care who he's lining up against. I'm going to take Ben 10 times out of 10.
"He's our guy."
Senior center Daniel Sell also drew praise as an intelligent blocker who can stretch the field in the passing game. Hudson Winter returns as the starting quarterback after reps as a freshman. Sam Lashaway, another sophomore, will be a contributor in the running attack as well.
Griffith, who owns West Texas Passing Academy, said despite his quarterback mindset the Warriors will remain run-first. But the coach added the team will have a few wrinkles compared to last year.
The Lashaways will be key on the defensive front, behind Sell on the line. Griffith said he has complete faith in defensive coordinator Jared Brock and his 3-2-1 scheme.
Griffith said senior Carson Jackson will step into a starting role at linebacker, and the coach also expects good things from safety Ethan Babb, who impressed during the offseason.
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Griffith said he feels humbled to be coaching at his "home." He's hoping to return immediate success, but no amount of wins will stop the mindset he's trying to form. Griffith said he's using philosophies from the Joshua Medcalf book, "Chop Wood Carry Water."
"The whole mentality is there is no end goal; there's only the process and who we become in the process," Griffith said. "One of the things that I tell the guys a lot that my dad told me is, 'You're becoming the man you're gonna be.' And so every day you're becoming a little bit more the man that you're gonna be when you're older. You're becoming the football player you're gonna be next week during the game because of what you did during practice."
Kingdom Prep Warriors
Head coach — Peter Griffith
2021 record — 10-3 overall, 4-0 in district
Base offense — Multiple
Base defense — 3-2-1
Returning lettermen — 12
Returning off./def. starters — 3/4
Top returners — Ben Lashaway, Sr., RB/LB; Daniel Sell, Sr., C/DL; Hudson Winter, So., QB; Sam Lashaway, So., RB/LB
2022 schedule
* — denotes district game
Aug. 25 — vs. Borden County, 6 p.m. at Jayton
Sept. 2 — at Roby, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 9 — at Anton, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 17 — vs. Abilene Christian, 6 p.m.
Sept. 30 — at Waco Live Oak, 7 p.m.
Oct. 7 — vs. Amarillo Warriors, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14 — at Happy, 7 p.m.
Oct. 22 — vs. Midland Holy Cross*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 — at Wichita Falls Christian*, 6 p.m.
Nov. 5 — vs. Christ the King*, 1 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock Kingdom Prep enters season under new head coach Peter Griffith
