Justin Emmerton continues to evolve as the longest-tenured coach on Ozark’s staff. The former pass coordinator is now in his first go-around as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator.
“I’d been on the offensive side of the ball until (head coach Chad Depee) got here (in 2015),” Emmerton said, recalling his days working for former Ozark head coaches Phil Montgomery and Mark Bliss. “ When Chad arrived, we had movement on our staff and didn't have anyone for the D-line position. Chad asked me if I would do that on a temporary basis until we found someone to fill that spot. We never filled that spot and I stayed on the defensive side.”
Emmerton, in his 17th season at Ozark, replaces Jim Genzler, who was hired as the head coach at Clever this year.
Depee was happy to reward Emmerton with a promotion.
“He's been very committed to our program for years. I'm excited about him leading those kids,” Depee said. “‘Coach E’ is going to be super organized and very cerebral. He will do an excellent job getting those kids prepared and motivated.”
Emmerton indeed vows to put in all the work necessary to have Ozark’s defensive players as prepared as possible to attack the opposing offense each week.
“I personally don't feel like I will ever feel prepared for anything. That's pressure I put on myself,” Emmerton said. “I hope that I'm prepared. Maybe being overly organized is my way of feeling like I'm prepared. I think if I get complacent and start to think I'm prepared that's when I will slip up. So, I put a lot of pressure on myself.
“In the process of becoming prepared for a Friday night, I will due diligence to make sure I try to cover every possible thing I can,” he added. “Until we see the results of what happens, then I will know if I was prepared or not.”
Emmerton’s roles at Ozark may have changed, but obviously he has found stability at his alma mater. His coaching career began at Rogersville and he was with the Wildcats for one season. Ever since, he’s been at Ozark.
Establishing roots has been a welcomed change for Emmerton.
“I was an Army brat,” he said. “I was born in Missouri, but I also lived in Georgia, New York, Germany, Arkansas and Idaho. I've kind of been around, but I've called Ozark my home. To be able to come back to the place you considered your home is something I've enjoyed. To set some roots and anchor somewhere has meant a lot. I’ve been fortunate.”
Emmerton, a 1991 Ozark grad, didn’t envision himself as a coach during his playing days. A criminal justice major, his first career choice was risk management and private security.
“If I wanted to pursue that, I would have to be in a big city and I didn't really want to end up in a big city,” he said. “So, I got certified to teach. The opportunity to coach drove me toward that.”
Emmerton has been Ozark’s head boys track coach since 2007. He values the experience he has gained as a head coach and is confident it has helped him on the gridiron.
“When the track job came open, (former Ozark coach) Chris Allison told me I should apply for it just to get experience interviewing for a job,” Emmerton said. “So I stuck my head in (former AD) Phil Montgomery’s door and told him I would be interested in the job. He said, 'OK, you got it.' I kind of panicked at that moment. I did track in junior high, but did baseball in high school. All of a sudden I had this new job I had to get in and be organized. I think my organization for football stems from getting the head track job and having to become organized in something that probably wasn't my forte.”
