Tony Woolfolk walked back to the huddle and grimaced, knowing he made a mistake.
Lift for Life's first-year football coach immediately dropped and gave his team pushups.
It's only fair in his eyes.
"That's Coach holding himself accountable," Lift for Life senior Noah Ridgel said. "He lets us know that he's going to make mistakes. So you bounce back from it. We learn from our mistakes, and we get better from it."
Seeing their head coach's example has helped build relationships and pushed the Hawks during the offseason.
"It makes me want to be more accountable," Ridgel said. "That makes me want to be better, seeing somebody better themselves. Not only by making that mistake but owning up to it and making it better."
Lift for Life, the No. 8 small school in the preseason rankings, is coming off three consecutive district titles and was 8-5 last season.
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But those district championship trophies just don't sparkle as much as they once did. The Hawks want more.
"It's kind of become the norm, but then we always lose in the quarterfinals," Lift for Life senior John Young said. "That's something we're trying to break this season."
Lift for Life has never advanced past the quarterfinal round since it began football in 2010.
The Hawks struggled for the first eight years of their existence, only scrapping together 14 wins. Since 2018, under former coach Charles Bass, the Hawks won 47 games and three district titles, including last season.
Woolfolk and the new coaching staff have stepped in to help provide a spark as the Hawks try to get over that edge.
Before getting hired in January by Lift for Life, Woolfolk was an assistant at Vianney. Prior to that, he served as an assistant for two state championship teams at St. Mary's.
"I was under the great leadership of (athletic director) Mike Potsou at Vianney," Woolfolk said. "I would say the same for (Vianney football coach) Chris Starkey. I mean, he really ran a legitimate program when it came down to organizing things and planning. He was very forward thinking when it came to that. And then prior to that, you know, I was with Ken Turner at St Mary's, and before that, Corey Bethany as well. So both of those guys were big program guys."
Ridgel had 941 rushing yards and six touchdowns last season as a running back but that doesn't appear to be in his future this season.
As dynamic as Ridgel was running the ball, Woolfolk has already put his touches on the program by shifting him to the safety position.
"College recruiters are talking to him and they like him at the DB position," Woolfolk said. "That kid is going to play on Saturdays one day. I don't want to beat his body up as much. When it comes to the running back position, it'll be by committee. He'll be a very intricate piece for us on the defensive side of the ball."
Mikell Burden, who caught 15 passes for 528 yards and six scores, returns on the offensive side of the ball.
Defensively, John Young and Alan Pointer are back to lead a deep defensive line group. Pointer finished last year with 29 tackles and tied for the team lead with six sacks.
When he arrived on campus and started meeting with his players, Woolfolk was convinced he had a special team. He immediately started researching the powerhouses in Class 2 and Class 3 in preparation for the season.
"I'm not here to hold back," Woolfolk said. "I'm here to win, and I want to coach guys that want to play football as their first career choice. That's when I'm aiming for — a state championship. "