The first game of the 2017 football season starts tomorrow as the Red Devils host the Addison Bulldogs. Kickoff is at 7 pm.
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PRESEASON RED DEVILS
ELKMONT REBUILDING
NEW FOOTBALL FACILITIES
Highlights:
Everything about the first-year Elkmont High football coach resonated enthusiasm — and optimism. Last season, with a team that relied heavily on freshman starters, Elkmont finished 0-10 while averaging less than 10 points per game.
Coach Wales Thoughts:
“I’m not going to
sugarcoat anything. Our team has a lot of work ahead. But
I’ve never been the type to shy away from a challenge. With the right
attitude, anything is possible.”
The players are rallying to the cause.
“We’re
excited about taking this challenge head on,” offensive lineman Braden
Miller said. “Coach Wales has come in here with a lot of excitement. And
it’s like he says, if you stick together and work hard, anything is
possible.”
“When you have a lot of young players, making sure the guys understand the fundamentals is important,” Wales said. “It’s a growing process, and as these guys develop, we’ll be able to do more and more.
“But we’re still young in a lot of areas,” Wales said. “There are several sophomores who played last year as freshmen. Even though those guys are still young, they do have varsity experience, and hopefully that experience will pay off.”
“When you have a lot of young players, making sure the guys understand the fundamentals is important,” Wales said. “It’s a growing process, and as these guys develop, we’ll be able to do more and more.
“But we’re still young in a lot of areas,” Wales said. “There are several sophomores who played last year as freshmen. Even though those guys are still young, they do have varsity experience, and hopefully that experience will pay off.”
THIS YEAR'S TEAM:
Two of the biggest challenges Wales faces in his first season are youth and a lack of depth. Elkmont was the area’s youngest team last season, the team returns the majority of its starters. Elkmont returns eight starters on both sides of the ball.
Two of the biggest challenges Wales faces in his first season are youth and a lack of depth. Elkmont was the area’s youngest team last season, the team returns the majority of its starters. Elkmont returns eight starters on both sides of the ball.
Elkmont’s starting lineup is heavy with sophomores with
some seniors scattered among the linemen and skill players. The Red
Devils return two senior running backs in Christian Green and Cameron
Davis, and Miller and Addison Cox are returning seniors on the offensive
and defensive lines.Wales said the senior starters are playing expanded roles, both on and off the field.
Cox said he already has seen signs of progress.
“I
definitely think we’re getting better,” he said. “We dealt with a lot
of adversity last year. We took our share of lumps. Through all of that,
we’ve stuck together, and I think it’s made us stronger. Now we’ve got
an opportunity to start turning this back around, and we’re excited
about that challenge.”
Quick hits
How our Red Devils do this year is something only time will tell.
Decatur Daily's
Offense
Elkmont
returns the majority of its starting lineup on both sides of the ball.
The Red Devils have eight returning starters on offense.
That
includes quarterback Patrick Jobman and receiver Hunter Pitman, along
with senior running backs Christian Green and Cameron Davis.
“We
do have a lot of experience,” Davis said. “Even though we dealt with a
lot of adversity last year, we’re trying to use that to our advantage.
We’re using that as motivation to make sure last season doesn’t happen
again.”
Elkmont also returns the bulk of its offensive line, including seniors Braden Miller and Addison Cox.
Defense
With eight starters returning on defense, Wales expects Elkmont to improve on that side of the ball.
Last season, Elkmont gave up 40.5 points per game.
“Some
of that was youth, and some of it probably was depth,” Wales said.
“Most of our guys are going to have to play on both sides of the ball.
Sometimes that can take a toll. But we’re coming into the season in
pretty good physical shape.
Quick hits
• Elkmont has about 30 players on its roster.
• Even
though Wales is Elkmont’s new coach, he is not new to the school. Before
taking over as the varsity coach, he coached the school’s middle school
football program.
• The back
end of Elkmont’s schedule this season requires lots of travel. The Red
Devils have road games in four of their final six games, including a
stretch with three straight road games at East Lawrence, West Limestone
and Colbert Heights.
Decatur Daily's
Region 8 Rankings:
Lauderdale County;7-5;6-1
Colbert County;9-3;6-1
Lexington;8-4;5-2
West Morgan;7-4;4-3
Colbert Heights;4-6;3-4
Clements;4-6;2-5
East Lawrence;2-8;2-5
Elkmont;0-10;0-7
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