The Leland High School Cubs were the only school in Washington County that did not play a football game last season. They were also one of only a few teams in the state that did not play a game.
A week ago these Cubs came in from their year-and-a-half hibernation to lift weights and begin their long, uphill climb back.
“We have a lot of babies,” Leland coach Ricardo Tigler said. “I have a ninth grade group I have never seen, and we are going to have a 10th grade group that I have not seen, because when they were ninth graders we didn’t have a season.”
After a successful four-year run at Ray Brooks, Tigler is technically entering his third season at Leland. But, because of the pandemic, in many ways. he said it feels like his first.
“The worst part was that we were not even allowed in our facilities. Even the schools that had an abbreviated season they were allowed in their facilities, but not us. This meant we couldn’t lift weight. So, now we are just getting started.”
The focus now for Tigler’s squad is to get as strong as possible before its first practice begins in about a month.
“We are going to get as strong as we can in the time that we had,” the Leland coach said. “We are going to plant the same seeds that we planted before and try to water them and hope that the sun shines on them.”
This upcoming year, the word cub is applicable for the young Leland team. Defensive back and wide receiver Marc Bassfield as well as lineman Ezekiel Johnson will be two of three or four seniors on this year’s squad.
Under Tigler’s guidance, Leland made it to the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons in Tigler’s first year. Tiger, however, did not get a chance to build on his first-year success.
“One of the biggest things is that when you are new and trying to change a culture, it takes a lot of consistency. Then, when everything shuts down, it is like we are starting back to square one,” the coach said.
If there is a silver lining for the Leland coach, he said the experience trying to lead a team through a pandemic has retaught him a valuable lesson.
“Don’t take anything for granted,” he said. “Most of the times with eighth graders you say, ‘I will see them in the summer or they will come to me.’ When that doesn’t happen, now you have kids you have never seen before.”
Leland begins its season Aug. 17 at home against Shaw High School.
