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After guiding his team to a sterling 23-1 record, a league championship, a district crown, and a double-overtime loss to the eventual Class C state champion in the regionals, Corkran's dream season was capped by a recent announcement that the Associated Press had named him Class C Coach of the Year.

"I came into a great situation where (previous NL coach) Caleb Miller had a solid program in place and everyone here was very supportive right from the start," commented Corkran. "But more than just the talent these kids had, was the winning attitude and unselfishness with which they played. I have never been around a group like this and I believe this year's team set the bar for any other team I will ever coach."

Corkran took over a team that was coming off a 20-2 record from the previous season and contained nine members of the unbeaten football team that captured a state title in the fall. While simply keeping most of the previous pieces in place, the new coach did make a couple of changes, including one key adjustment on offense.

"We went to a driving-and-dishing style of offense in order to capitalize on the type of athletes we had," said Corkran. "We ended up executing that kind of offense very well all season long, I thought. Our teamwork and unselfishness on offense along with our strong team defense were keys to our success."

Corkran, a 1995 Flushing graduate, may have come to New Lothrop with no previous head coaching experience, but the self-admitted 29-year-old gym rat has spent plenty of time around varsity basketball programs.

In addition to playing at Flushing, Corkran spent three years as a varsity assistant at Corunna and one season in the same capacity at Lake Fenton.

"I learned a lot from (Corunna head Coach) Jason Schemenauer and (Lake Fenton head coach) Mike Stewart," Corkran said.

Corkran, who is a General Motors employee and lives in Flint Township, says his lack of head coaching experience wasn't a major factor this past season.

"I have a passion for the game and if I'm not coaching, I'm studying someone else's style of coaching," concluded Corkran. "When I came to New Lothrop, the community made me feel welcome and there wasn't a lot of pressure. They just let me come in and do my thing."

And Corkran did his thing exceptionally well. Good enough to be named Coach of the Year after his first year at the helm at New Lothrop.