Salem coach Kemp Carr is on the verge of a unique South Jersey coaching milestone. (Photo by Zachary Ahl)
With a win in sectional final Saturday, Kemp Carr will become first SJ coach with 100 wins in football and basketball
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP !
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1
SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14, noon
Pennsville (6-5) at Schalick (11-0)
Salem (8-3) at Paulsboro (9-2)
NORTH JERSEY SECTION 1
NORTH JERSEY SECTION 2
Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.
New Milford (9-2) at Newton (11-0)
Hasbrouck Heights (8-3) at Cedar Grove (9-1)
SALEM — Kemp Carr didn’t get into coaching to reach a certain number of wins in order to validate the success of his career. He’s never counted wins. There is no board on the wall in his office with little tick marks whenever his team comes out with a win. He wouldn’t even know the number unless somebody shared it with him.
He did get into coaching to help players reach their fullest potential, expose them to positive experiences and opportunities they might not otherwise have and provide them the tools necessary to be successful beyond the field.
Surround yourself with enough of those type people and do things the right way with a solid plan and the wins will come.
Because he has, Carr is on the verge of a milestone that will put him in a class by himself. If the Salem coach’s surging football team beats Paulsboro Saturday for the Central Jersey Group 1 championship, he will become the first coach in South Jersey to post 100 wins in both football and basketball. It’s a milestone he wasn’t even aware of a couple weeks ago, but pointed out to him by independent fact-checkers who keep a pretty close eye on such things.
And when it was brought to his attention he was humbled.
“I just want to say thank you to all the coaches who ever coached with me, any player who ever played for me that was part of this history, anybody who every believed in me and trusted me to actually come and be part of the program or school and to be able to make a difference,” the 54-year-old coach said. “Embodying and trusting me in that means a lot. And it happened at two or three different schools.
“All of those schools, programs, improved underneath my umbrella, but it wasn’t just with me. The support had to be there through the administration, the coaching staff had to be in part and then the players had to buy in. You need good players, you need good coaches, you need good support to make these things work. These are some of the residuals. You do something long enough you end up getting things like that (milestone).”
Carr’s football coaching record stands at 99-69 through stints at Penns Grove (74-34), Winslow (11-18) and, for the last three seasons, Salem (14-17). He was 137-68 as Penns Grove’s basketball coach from 2005-2013. Last year he added the Salem girls basketball job to his resume and went 9-11, running his record in three sports to 245-148.
“I would never notice unless somebody shared it with me,” he said. “I don’t have a board where we keep the wins and losses. I keep the wins and losses with people, how our people make out that’s underneath my umbrella or under my leadership.”
And then he ticked off a list of players and coaches under his wing who have gone on to have success in their own right. Dennis Thomas … Montrey Wright … Lamont Robinson …. Kenny Scott … John Emel … Damian Ware. Of course there are many, many more in a coaching career that’s spanned 30 years. And don’t forget the support and sacrifices it takes from the family
“You find the people who want to be part of something special,” Carr said. “When I called my coaches to be part of my coaching staff my words to them were I need guys like you to come help me build a championship brand. That was my word to those guys and they did it.”
Interestingly, all the programs he has taken over have been rebuilds. Winslow had won only seven games in the four seasons prior to his arrival and he went 5-5 his first year there. Salem won two games the year before he got there and the Rams were winless in his transition year, but he has had had two winning seasons the last two years and has them on the verge of a sectional title.
“Everybody has to buy in,” he said. “To buy in is expensive because there are certain things you have to do in order to get you ready for preparation. They say proper preparation prevents poor performance. I’m a big proper preparation prevents poor performance guy, so if you’re going out there to do something you’d better be prepared for it. My momma said it just like this: Don’t waste my time if you ain’t trying to be the best at it. Find something you’re trying to be the best at because then you won’t fail.”
Carr’s 100th football win would send his team to meet either Schalick or Pennsville next week for the trip to the state championship game at MetLife Stadium. Sure it’s a big game Saturday, but it’s just another step towards their ultimate goal.
