Charleston head football coach Ricky May was honored this week by Hooten’s Arkansas Football publication as the 2022 Class 3A Coach of the Year. The honor was part of a dream season for the Tigers that saw Charleston win 14 games this season that included an undefeated conference championship and a state championship. May has guided the Tigers’ football program to four straight state playoffs appearances dating back to his hire in the spring of 2019.
Charleston’s only loss was a close loss at home in a non-conference game with Class 4A Nashville. The Tigers lost the game by the score of 27-19 with Charleston driving for a potential game-tying score before time ran out. The Scrappers went on to the Class 4A state semifinals.
In conference play, the Tigers dominated the 3A-1 with no losses, including a 42-14 win at Booneville. The Booneville victory was suspect due to seven Booneville players being unavailable for the game, including five starters and their top running back and linebacker, Dax Goff.
But the Tigers dominated each round in the state tournament as a number one seed from the 3A-1. Only the first half in their first round of the playoffs was close, but from that point forward, Charleston never had a serious threat from any opponent in the playoffs, including the Booneville Bearcats in the state final.
But aside from all of the victories, championships, and impressive statistics, Ricky May is a family man who has strong convictions of faith, work, and principles of character that he instills into his players. When I visited with him this week, most of the conversation he shared with me revolved around his program emphasis on mentoring his players. A top priority for May and his players is to see them develop into good men, fathers, and husbands. The work ethic that he demands on the field is embedded into the personal characteristics he wants his players to remember; when life throws you a curve, or becomes tough, keep playing. I have heard him tell his players this on the sidelines in games on numerous occasions…keep playing.
RNN Sports visited with Coach May just a few days after his team won the state championship. His senior quarterback, Brandon Scott, had just been named the Offensive Player of the Year the night before, and he was named as Coach of the Year. So, when I spoke with Coach May, you would think, fresh off the awards ceremony the night before, that he would be giddy from all of the attention and honors he and his team had received. But, that is not Coach May’s style. He is a humble man who always gives credit to his players and coaching staff, and on the day I spoke with him, he had already met with his returning players for next year and had talked with them about how good they can be next year if they are willing to work and do the little things everyday that will make them successful both on the field and in life. That is Ricky May.
Over the past few days, I have posted on social media my comments and impressions of the coach and “the program he has built” at Charleston. When we visited a few days ago, Coach May quickly added that, “first of all, the program at Charleston was already built” when he arrived as head coach. Again, very typical of Coach to give credit to the previous head coaches who, in the Tigers’ history, had won five state championships before this season.
In Coach May’s first season in 2019, he faced a long list of player injuries that resulted in an 0-3 start against some very tough Class 4A non-conference opponents. But he kept the team together, getting them to focus on the conference season. By doing so, the Tigers made it into the playoffs. In my opinion, that year was one of Coach May’s best. He kept the team playing hard each game while the players adjusted to their new coach. The following season, Coach May’s team would win a conference championship. Coach May said that in 2019, “We just worked, and it was a situation where the kids had to get to know and trust me, the coaches had to trust me, and I had to do the same with them. The first year was a learning experience for all of us. Once we got settled-in and the kids started to respond to me and what we were trying to do; you know, it was a lot for them that first year.”
Coach May installed the “Uncommon Man” program at Charleston. “They have mentors and the players mentor kids themselves. The way they do that is they coach flag football, Little League, go over to the schools and read, anything that helps our kids kind of grow as people. That’s kind of what we are trying to do. One of the best examples is a former player (Ryan McDonald) who came in and talked about what it was like to play in a state championship and how magnified it was going to be. He talked to them about every part of that (how different it is to play in a championship game), and those were things that I could have said. I have won one and lost one (state championship), but they listened to him because of who he is. He is the all time leading rusher at Charleston and that part of it helped connect the past, present and future for our players, and the players responded.”
In the evolution of Coach May’s success at Charleston, he said that there really wasn’t a single turning point that first year when he felt the players were buying into his program and turning the corner to where they are today. Coach said, “It slowly progressed; my approach was different, and anytime you experience something different, good or bad, it’s just different. The kids adjusted, they are teenagers, and they started to understand that they could be successful every year. It was not just me, it was our community, and it was the Uncommon Man mentors.”
Coach May is the type of coach that many parents would want their kids to play for. He puts as much emphasis on the players’ development as people as he does as football players. Coach explained, “You know, the best thing about that is that they (the players) know that I am not just trying to use them as players. They know that when they graduate I am going to treat them the same way that I do when they played for us. That is what is so special; when they come back and they want you to know that they have a baby, or they want you in their wedding, and so on. On the night of the championship game, I had a former player on the Booneville side that I coached and mentored while he was growing up. I used to take him to practice and other things, and I started mentoring him when he was in the eighth grade. Now, he is a grown man, and he called me on Thursday night before the game. He said, “Coach, I love you and man I am rooting for you, and I can’t wait to see you.” Then, after the game, he stood down in the corner of the stadium and waited for me until I was finished with interviews and pictures until I could come and talk to him. At the end of the day, that is what I want. I tell our players that once you are in my family you are always in my family. So, they understand that, I think. At the end of the day, they know that we love them.”
And the Tigers have responded to Coach May for the past four years. They have played like they love him too, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve excellence on and off the field.
Soon after the Tigers’ championship victory, I made a statement that “It is good to see good people win.” As a reporter for RNN Sports and as a retired school administrator, I have had the privilege of meeting and working with many outstanding coaches. Like any other profession, there are some that are better than others. My experience has shown me that coaches who take genuine interests in their players’ lives are the ones who usually have long term success. Many factors go into a championship, and sometimes, good fortune has to shine on your team. But without question, it all starts out with a strong leader who has great character and a strong spiritual foundation that enables him or her to be a leader of young men. And that, is what Ricky May is and stands for in his program.
RNN Sports congratulates Ricky May on being named as the 3A Coach of the Year by Hooten’s Arkansas Football. We would also like to congratulate and recognize the community of Charleston, the Tigers fans, and the district’s administration who has stood behind Coach May 100% for his entire tenure at Charleston. It is tough for a new coach to come into a program that has a history of long term success that has included five previous state championships. In 2019, when the Tigers started out 0-3, the district administration and the fans never wavered in their support of May. And that solid support has contributed to a state championship in 2022. A state championship that was won in convincing style, all season long.
Congratulations Coach May. This honor is well-deserved.
