All of former Warhorse Jacob Campsey’s coaches, family, friends, and former teammates here in Devine will be rooting for the Rockdale Tigers this week.
This coming Thursday, December 21, the former Warhorse (now Defensive Coordinator for Rockdale High School) will get the opportunity of a lifetime to stand on the Dallas Cowboys home stadium in Arlington, Texas, where he will help coach the Rockdale Tigers in the 3A Division 1 State Championship game.
This will be Rockdale’s first appearance in the State Championship in 41 years. The Tigers defeated Yoakum last week 31 to 21 in the Semi-Finals, and will take on Brock this Thursday. Kickoff is at 3 pm, and it will be televised on Fox Sports (southwest) on cable Dish Network.
Wahorse fans and Devine alumni will remember former Warhorse Jacob Campsey as Warhorse Quarterback #10 from his high school days in Devine. Campsey played for the Warhorses from 2002-2005, and graduated with the Class of 2006.
Warhorse Athletic Director Chad Quisenberry couldn’t be more proud to see his former Warhorse QB coaching in the big championship game this Thursday.
“I couldn’t be more proud or more happy for Jake,” Quisenberry said. “He has always been a leader of his teammates and now of young men in Rockdale. Jacob was always a tireless worker as a student athlete here and I know he is the same as a coach and he leaves no stone unturned. It was like having another coach on the field when he was here. We all knew he was destined to be a great coach because he understood not only the x’s and o’s but he always cared more about his teammates than himself. I know he does the same with the kids in Rockdale. Those kids in Rockdale play hard and give a great effort to Jacob cause they know he truly cares for them. We wish him the best of luck!!”
Devine Head Football Coach Paul Gomez always had a lot of respect for Campsey as a player as well, and says Campsey was always a leader at heart.
“Jacob was a true student of the game,” Coach Gomez said. “He had a great passion for football. He was a great student athlete that you knew would make a positive difference in the world. Jacob was like having a coach on the field. He knew the scouting report on each team we played and he knew what they did offensively and defensively. I knew Jacob would be a great coach and I knew one day he would have an opportunity to do great things as a coach. Not just on the field but I know Jacob is positively affecting the lives of his players. He truly cares and that’s why he is having success. I am extremely proud of him and we will all be pulling for him at the state championship!! What an awesome opportunity!”
Coach Jerel Beaty adds, “Jacob was a special kind of player from the time I had the privilege of coaching him his 7th grade football season all the way through his stellar high school career. As a young kid, Jacob would spend his lunch time on the middle school playground rehearsing quarterback skills that he had to perform in practice and in games while others were playing basketball or chilling with their friends. I knew then he would make a great coach one day. His attention to detail and the desire to be a great teammate and leader has no doubt helped his Rockdale team get to where they are today. As a Warhorse defensive player, Jacob was responsible for getting the entire defense lined up correctly and on almost every snap, he knew what the opponents play was going to be just by recognizing their formation and knowing their trends. He was a very intelligent, hard-nosed player and a tremendous kid that will go down as one of my all-time favorites to have ever had the honor of coaching. I wish his team the best!”
But, Campsey’s love for football started long before he ever set foot on Warhorse Stadium. As Campsey’s parents Sherry and Butch Campsey recall, “Jacob discovered football when he was about two years old. We always had sock footballs and little triangular pieces of paper flying through our house. We knew he was going to be a coach when he started playing colt football. You could just see his love for the game. Anywhere you looked in our house there was a notebook full of plays he had designed.”
“Sports shaped him into the man he is today,” his mother Sherry Campsey adds. “We are so proud of the man he has become. He was also very smart in choosing Jenna to be his wife. She is the ultimate coaches wife and shares his dedication to young people.”
After graduating from Mary Hardin Baylor University, Campsey went straight into coaching the game he loves so much. Campsey has coached a total of 7 years, coaching three years at Thrall High School before moving to Rockdale High School. He started out as a secondary coach at Rockdale before quickly working his way up to Defensive Coordinator at Rockdale High School, where he has coached for the past 4 years. Rockdale has gone 44-10 in the past 4 years.
“Playing for a state championship has been something I’ve dreamed about since I knew there was such a thing,” Campsey said. “I spent so many hours as a player trying to get to one, and even more as a coach. It’s still a little surreal to me and I had to pinch myself three or four times over the weekend.”
“It’s has been such a fun season with these kids and to watch the success they have had and hard work pay off is so rewarding. I’m so happy they get to experience this; not many kiddos ever get to play where the Dallas Cowboys play, so it’s very special!”
So what makes this year’s Rockdale Tigers team special? It’s a tight-knit group that’s overcome an incredible amount of adversity together, coach says.
“We have had to fight through an incredible amount of adversity. We started out the year really beat up so other kids had to learn how to play,” Campsey said. “Our senior tight end lost his father unexpectedly the day before two-a-days started and the community and team has really rallied around playing for Matt and his father. It’s just a real tight-knit group because of what they have been through together. As a freshman, our head coaches son (who was our QB and is a senior now) was diagnosed with bone cancer and never played football again.”
That player now helps manage the special teams.
“Things like that along with a lot of talent have made them a really special teams,” Campsey said. “This team doesn’t panic, we’ve trailed in three of our five playoff games, and we just stay the course and play hard.”
Like they say, “once a Warhorse, always a Warhorse,” and Campsey carries many of the lessons and traditions of his hometown team with him.
“How I run the defense and coach is largely like my coaches coached me. In fact, if you were to hang around Rockdale for a day and you were familiar with Warhorse Football you would hear and see some similarities. Every Wednesday my message to the kids is “put the hay in the barn,”just like when I played. And my message during the playoffs has been “Why not us?” which is something Coach Quiz used to say all the time. Coach Quiz also used to tell us all the time….“Don’t be afraid to be good,” which is also something I tell our kids all the time.”
Campsey will coach the Rockdale Tigers as the Defensive Coordinator alongside Head Coach/Athletic Director Jeff Miller, Offensive Coordinator Brandon Houston, Ethan Noel-running backs, Bart Gibbs- defensive line, and David Monroe-outside linebackers.