After the Hollandale School District decided to cancel fall sports on Tuesday Simmons coach Jeremy Packer sent a text message to his players given them the news.
“It is sad, and we are all sad about it. But, we are not the only ones who have had their season canceled. Most of the teams in the Delta have had their seasons canceled,” Packer said. “Hopefully, after nine weeks when they come back to school, I can see them face to face and we can start the process of helping them workout and getting them ready for the future.”
Along with football, the Simmons volleyball and cross country seasons were canceled as well.
Hollandale becomes the third public school district in Washington County to cancel its fall seasons. The Greenville Public School District and the Western Line School District have also canceled their seasons.
This season would have been the first season for Packer to coach the Blue Devils.
“I think for the most part our community is strong, and we are strong enough to get through this,” Coach Packer said.
Packer, 33, was a star athlete at Madison Central High School in football, basketball and track. A wide receiver, he then went on to become a Junior College-All American at Holmes Community College. He spent his final two years playing college football at Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C.
Before arriving at Simmons, Packer’s was the offensive coordinator at Velma Jackson High School the last four years. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator at Long Beach High School.
