Story By Cinthia Rico
WQSB FM and Mountain Valley News /North Jackson Press presented the DeKalb and Jackson County Football Media Day at the Tom Bevill Enrichment Center in Rainsville last Friday.
Coaches and players representing fifteen programs spoke of the 2022 season that’s just around the corner, providing a glimpse into their hopes and goals for the upcoming football season.
Key takeaways from the DeKalb/Jackson County Media Day:
• Coaches discussed the upcoming season and changes to their perspective regions
Leading the North Jackson Chiefs for his second year, head coach Joe Hollis said the teams did a tremendous job as they finished their first week of fall camp.
Accompanying Hollis, representing North Jackson were Levi Hughes, Wil Sims and Colton Carpenter.
North Sand Mountain Head Coach Keith Kirby entering his seventh season, said although they lost several seniors last year, several experienced players are returning this year.
Representing the Bison were Lucas Steele, Nyle Poore, Blake Hill, Levi Pettijohn and Conner Garrett.
“All these guys have quite a bit of playing experience,” said Kirby.
Woodville High School Head Coach Matt Sanders returns for his second year to lead the Panthers into the 2022 season.
Joining Sanders, representing Woodville were Steve Williams, Shane Hughes, Sam Peak and Ace Weaver.
Sanders said heading into the upcoming season, the team has made improvements from last year, beginning with conditioning and the implementation of new ethics.
“As far as the upcoming season, we are really excited,” he said. “I think there’s no secret we had a bad season last year, and we’ve owned up to that.”
• Their focus during summer conditioning
“Our players have done a tremendous job this summer rising to the expectations,” said Hollis. “We keep pushing, they keep fighting everything and doing what we ask of them.”
• Goals and expectations as they enter the upcoming season
Hollis said entering the new season, the team knows what to expect with the return of the entire coaching staff and the program’s consistency.
“We are proud of the group and proud of where we are at this point,” he said. “But we are at North Jackson and the bar at North Jackson is not like everywhere else. We have had high expectations since the start of the program in 1988.”
Kirby said the team has been working hard through the summer and are excited to get things rolling.
Over the summer, the Panthers not only worked on their game but also raised their program number. Last season Woodville had around 18 players from seventh through twelfth grades, the majority with no experience.
“The good news is they kept fighting. I can see bits and pieces of improvement,” said Sanders. “We are averaging about 30 players for the entire summer, which is a significant improvement from last year’s 10. We are really excited about the upcoming season.”
• Summary
All teams expressed excitement for the upcoming season, with hopes of finishing strong and leaving it all on the field.
In Class 4A Region 7, North Jackson travels to Sylvania on Aug. 12 for a jamboree. In Class 2A Region 7, North Sand Mountain hosts Valley Head on Aug. 19 at home, and in Class 1A Region 7, Woodville travels to Whitesburg Christian Academy on Aug. 19.
Read more about the 2022 DeKalb/Jackson County Football Media Day press conference in the upcoming issues of Mountain River Valley Football Preview Magazine.
— Editor’s note: The second half of the Jackson County teams will be featured in the next edition of the North Jackson Press.
