Spring football in the air

This week we continue our look ahead to the 2014 football season by visiting with both the Whitley County Colonels and the Corbin Redhounds as they conduct their spring practice sessions.

As for Whitley County, new Colonel Head Coach Jason Chappell said that he is “really excited” about the players that he has at his disposal. “We like the attitude and the work ethic that the kids have displayed,” he said. “Everything has been really positive so far, and the entire staff is excited about the type of kids that are a part of this program.”

Chappell commented that assistant coach Justin Bozeman has been working the players hard in the weight room, trying to make sure that they are as strong as possible when the season rolls around. “Coach Bozeman has been tremendous in the weight room,” he said. “We are blessed to have him. We are a young team, so our numbers in the weight room aren’t yet where we would like them to be, but I believe that a year from now we’ll be seeing some phenomenal numbers. That is just something that we will have to keep working on, and we will hope to see it improve as time goes on.”

Speaking about the team’s athletic ability, Chappell has been very pleased with what he’s seen so far. “We’re excited about the athleticism of many of our guys,” he said. “Zack Mills is explosive out of the backfield, I love Luke Woods’ decision making at quarterback, and we have yet to see arguably one of our best athletes in Austin Ysidro.”

Chappell also named John Singleton, Sean Hickey, Jacob Paul, Kevin Simpson and Cameron Johnson as exceptional athletes that he hopes to see a lot of production from during the season.

Chappell commented that he was drawn to Whitley County in large part due to the tradition and the pride surrounding the athletic program, and he said that he has been really impressed with the amount of people who support the program and want to see it succeed.

He said that he feels extremely blessed to now be a part of that tradition, and he is eager to get his family here and become rooted in the community.

“Our number one goal is not about wins and losses,” Chappell said. “It is about putting a team on the field that the community can be proud of. If we go about our business and conduct ourselves properly, if we focus on the little things, then I believe the wins will take care of themselves. This team is capable of winning football games, and I believe they will be very competitive in the upcoming season.”

Things are also looking just a little differently at Corbin, where long-time Head Coach Steve Jewell can no longer be found on the sidelines. Instead, his assistants decided to band together and put on this year’s spring camp while they waited for Jewell’s replacement to be named.

Coach Andrew Roark said that the players have been working hard in the weight room this winter, and that they have come out for spring practice with a great attitude. “The kids have been here on time, doing what they need to do in order to get better,” he added. “We all want to get back to winning nine or ten games, and competing for district and region titles.”

Roark also said that the lack of a head coach this spring has not hindered the team’s sessions either in the weight room or on the practice field. “The staff has tried to keep a sense of continuity,” he said. “We’re just operating like business as usual. We plan on making the best out of any situation that may come up.”

Fellow assistant coach Greg Duncum said, “Corbin is going to be Corbin. We will have good numbers coming back this year, and we have a lot of quality kids on the team. If they continue to work hard, then I feel very good going into the upcoming season.”

Duncum also commented on the excitement level inside the Redhound locker room, saying, “Anytime these kids get a chance to put the pads back on they’re excited. As coaches, we’re out here to help them, and right now we’re just continuing to work mostly on our techniques and fundamentals.”

“The players have all bought into what we’re trying to accomplish, and although it hasn’t been a typical spring, they are all still very excited. We just want to finish up strong in the last few days that we have left, get back in the weight room, and get ready for the season.”