Head Coach Jimmy Burchett, a native of Franklin, began his coaching career here at Franklin High in the late 60’s and early 70’s. During those years he served as the Head Basketball, Head Baseball and Assistant Football Coach.
Jimmy changed careers and, along with his four daughters, developed a strong interest in a rapidly growing sport- Soccer! Jimmy began coaching soccer in the WCSA recreation league. In 1979 he was instrumental in organizing the first recreation league just for girls. In 1980, he began coaching one of the first girl’s travel teams in Williamson County.
Coach B began coaching the Lady Rebels in 1997. Since that time, he has compiled a record of 159-46-20. With the 1-0 win against Brentwood in the 2006 District Semi Finals, he set the record for most all time wins in girl’s soccer at Franklin High. Under his leadership, the Lady Rebels have competed in 5 State Championship games, winning titles in 2000,2002, and 2003 and two runner-up titles in 1999 and 2001. 48 of his players have continued their soccer careers at the college level.
In 2003, Coach Burchett was named National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of High Schools.
Assistant Coach
Laban
DeFriese
Laban
DeFriese is a Chattanooga, Tennessee native, an attorney by profession, and a
USSF nationally licensed soccer coach, who has over 30 years playing and
coaching experience.
He was a 1st team all-state forward for Notre Dame high school where he led the
state of Tennessee in goals and total scoring his Jr. Year. He played club
soccer with the Redoubt association and the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga.
Team Operations Director and Coaching Duties:
In 2004, Laban partnered with Jon Sneider of Impact - Knoxville to bring the
Impact club to middle Tennessee and create the "statewide soccer club concept"-
the first of its kind in TN (now
Impact
U.S.A. - Nike).
In addition to club responsibilities, Laban currently coaches/trains the
following Impact teams for 2006-2007 season:
U5-U8 Impact Jr. Academy
U9 Impact USA - Nike Girls
U10 Impact USA - Elite Girls (Statewide Elite Impact team)
U12 Impact USA - Nike Girls
State Championships Teams Travel:
Over the last decade alone he has put together and/or coached six (6) different
top level girls’ youth teams that have won Twelve (12) top division
Snickers Cup Tennessee State Championships between them and three (3) top
level division Finalist finishes. ('81 HFC, '83 MV Magic, '84 MV Blaze, '85
TNFC, 88 Impact Premier, '91 SRFC Lady Strikers).
State Championship Teams High School:
As a coach with Scott Snyder on the boys program at Notre Dame High School, the
boy’s team won back-to-back TSSAA High School State Championships in 1995 and
1996.
Most Recent State Champions and Nationally Ranked Teams:
’88
Impact Premier:
This ’88 Premier girls teams won (7) seven consecutive State Championships
(2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006) and a trip to the Region III
finals in 2002, and quarter-finals 2004 and 2005.
The team has had top ten and top twenty national ranking each of the last (5)
five years. (#7; 2002, to #18; 2006) 17 of the 18 Players on this team signed
College Scholarships.
’91
Stones River Lady Strikers:
Laban head coached the super successful '91 Stones River Lady Strikers from
2002-2005. During that time the team won (3) three consecutive Tennessee State
Championships. They WON an amazing TWENTY-FOUR (24) Tournaments
overall during that same span. They maintained a national top ten ranking
including peaking at #1 in 2003. In 2005, the team reached the Semi-Finals at
the Region III tournament losing to eventual national Runner up OK 2-0.
The Premier Elite tournament wins include, the Prestigious Raleigh Invitational
top Champions "A' Flight in both 2003 and 2004.
Olympic Development Players:
Laban has developed the following Olympic Development Region III players. These
are players that ranked as the top 30 players in Region III the year they made
the Olympic Development team for Region III.
Paige Ledford '84 Blaze (Clemson University)
Natalie Dunham '85 Blaze (Birmingham Southern University)
Meagen Forrester '88 Nike Impact (Vanderbilt Signee)
Monica Dunham '88 Nike Impact (Austin Peay Signee)
Ariel Cohen '91 Lady Strikers
Brittany Wynn '91 Lady Strikers
Dylan Jerdan '91 Lady Strikers
Dana Swartz '91 Lady Strikers
St. Cecilia Academy
(All Girls
School in Nashville)
Laban took over as head coach of St. Cecilia in Fall 2005. He inherited a 5-10-0
team that lost (6) senior starters. With as many as (8) eight underclassmen
starting on the field at one time, he guided the 2005 team to its first winning
season in 9 years, with a very competitive
9-5-5 record. The team also reached the Finals of the Katie Hunter Tournament in
Oak Ridge, TN, losing in Double Overtime Penalty Kicks to Maryville High (AAA)
power.
After that weekend, the team broke into the top 10 state rankings for DII
schools and stayed there until the end of the season. All 5 losses came to
bigger schools with State and/or National rankings.