Sports coaches from all over Southeast Missouri, including coaches from Southeast Missouri State, assembled before sunrise for a Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau.

The event was put together by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, headed by Darrin Scott, who has been leading the local chapter since retiring from coaching the Jackson High School boys’ basketball team.

Scott said the purpose of this event is to “invite community members to in so they can pray for those coaches.”

“We ask people for their time, talent, and treasure,” Scott said. “So what we’re asking people is to commit to pray for coaches.”

Everyone in attendance received a 31-day prayer card that lists things for people to pray about each day of the month. Scott and Mark Anderson, senior pastor at Lynwood Baptist Church, have arranged a prayer breakfast for coaches each year that he has been involved with FCA.

However, this is the first time the community has been included in the event.

During his speech, Scott described the origin of the term “coach” as an object designed to take a person of importance from where they are to where they want them to be. Scott has returned to that design on the court by accepting the position as the head coach of the Saxony Lutheran boys’ basketball team.

“They needed a coach,” Scott said. “I just felt God was leading me that I would take this opportunity. So I did.”

Scott last coached Jackson in 2022, finishing with a 14-14 record. He coached the Indians for 18 years and won eight district championships since 2010. He will remain at FCA as the area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Southeast Missouri as his “day job.”

“It wasn’t like I was dying to get back into coaching,” Scott said. “I love what I do with FCA.”

Still, Scott enjoys the prospects of coaching at a religious institution like Saxony Lutheran.

“I’m really excited to be back in a Christian school,” Scott said. “In our area, Southeast Missouri, we’re very open to sharing the faith, but it is different when the whole school’s mission statement is the share the Gospel.”

Saxony Lutheran finished 17-10 last season and came up short in the Class 3 District 2 Tournament. Scott replaces Justin Callahan, who retired after this past season and went 73-58 during his five seasons leading the Crusaders.

Scott’s approach to the Crusaders is more than wins and losses and about the impact he can have on his kids as a coach.

“I’ll be honest, it wasn’t even in my thought process as far as like how good they would be,” Scott said. “It was more about the impact you can have, the purpose of the school, the mission. In high school, you’re going to have talent. They’re going to come up and down, you just got to control that. So for me, the reason I’m taking this job is really the impact we’re going to have with those kids.”

During the prayer breakfast, Scott capped his speech with the message, “If you don’t do anything more often, just start praying.”