Patrick Ervin
Special to the DD-T
Seems kind of odd with Memorial Day approaching and the temperature rising day by day that there would be football played on a Saturday in the Delta. But, this time a year means that coaches get a chance to get a quick preview of the upcoming season by playing in spring jamborees.
O’Bannon was the site where five teams (O’Bannon, T.L. Weston, Shaw, Coahoma County and Coleman) took to the field to take the first steps towards their respective 2019-2020 middle school football seasons. “We work on blocking, tackling and footwork,” said T.L. Weston head coach Symetric Strong. “
It’s all about getting the players into shape and preparing them mentally for the sport.” Strong illustrated a point that was evident throughout the day that the defenses are ahead of the offenses at this stage of conditioning.
The atmosphere was very relaxed and much different from what the youngsters will see on Thursday nights this fall. Coaches were allowed on the field to critique and instruct their players.
There was a free flow of families and spectators around the stadium for these sixth graders who may have had their first encounter with tackle football. The format scheduled for the day was for each team to play two games of ten minutes each.
Humphreys County was a late scratch which changed the number of games that each team played. It’s understandable that the format was conducive to getting these young players acclimated to the game. However, there were still glimpses of intensity through the day to send a message that the sport is competitive, physical and demanding.
“The line captain spot is wide open,” said T.L. Weston principal Walter McDavid to an aspiring defensive leader. “You have to go get it!”
The Coleman Tigers in fitting fashion opened the action for the last game of the day, by getting fired up to the military cadence.”
“Everywhere we go, people want to know who we are and where we come from,” the Tigers chanted in unison. If these youngsters continue to learn the craft and become proficient on the gridiron, we won’t wonder anymore come this fall.”
