Panthers Laying Groundwork toward Successful Fall Football Season

Since early May the Avery Middle School football team has been meeting two days a week after school to work on fundamentals and skill development which will help the Panthers compete in the fall for a Toe River Conference championship.

Gone from last year’s team are 10 of the team’s 11 starters on offense, and only three returning players on the defensive side of the football. Despite the turnover, the coaching staff feels this year’s team is still destined to be a force in the conference championship picture.

“We’ve had quite a few players come out and participate with us, 11 of our players off last year’s team are returning as 8^th graders. Players like Tre Jackson, Austin Phillips, Kobe Pittman, Wade Smith, and Kyle Ward, who are multi-sport athletes, are helping us. We also have Austin Calloway who has come out to play this season and has been a huge plus for us. He didn’t play last season and will help us on the line,” Avery Middle School head football coach Donnie Johnson said during last week’s practices. “Hunter Dellinger is another athlete who came out to play this year. The 8^th grade group is smaller than last year’s, but we have a good core coming back. We’re not really rebuilding, but rather are reloading.”

The core of returning players is paying immediate dividends as they have matured into team leaders in the practice setting.

“Having a number of returning players helps with the little things, things like keeping things in order like the locker room and also on the field. We feel if we take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves,” the coach said. “Our practices are moving at a little faster pace than previously. Nobody is walking and everyone is hustling throughout practice. The 8^th graders are really stepping up to lead more then they were as 7^th graders last season.”

In spite of the great start the team has gotten off to in preparing for the Toe River Conference football season, Coach Johnson knows his team have a ways to go to reach the ultimate goal of a conference title.

“The biggest thing for us is to stay on course where we’re heading. As long as we keep getting better a conference championship this year certainly is not out of reach,” Coach Johnson stated. “Everybody’s looking at this year as a down year, as almost every team with the exception of Cranberry lost quite a few 8^th grade players. But we’re where we need to be and I believe we’re doing a good job of preparing for the fall. The returning kids are putting in the work and the 7^th graders are following their example, which I feel goes a long way in determining what it takes to be a championship-caliber team.”