Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
“Lander quarterback Chase Shell (3) scampers away from the pressure being applied by Happy Valley’s Landon Babb (32) during a last season game.
Warriors #3 Andrew Little gets into the open field for big yardage against the Cosby defense last season.
Warriors fighting to be atop the heap at season’s end BY IVAN SANDERS STAR SPORTS EDITOR ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
“For the running back slot, we have a few guys that are going to be able to carry the ball. Andrew Little, Spencer Hall, Ensor, and Pedro Colunga. We feel that we have some guys that can pick up the slack from acing adversity even before the season began, where Matthew graduated last year.” the Happy Valley Warriors had to play a Heading into a new campaign, many times a coach game of catch-up but that doesn’t mean that knows what the identity of his team will be for the anything has changed on Warrior Hill from a season. However, Jarrett said that hasn’t been the case competitive standpoint as head coach Jason Jarrett and for his Warrior team in the 2021 season. his coaching staff continue to work on how to replace “I am still trying to find the identity of the football some important cogs from last year’s team including team at this point,” shared Jarrett. “Honestly, we have starting quarterback Eli Ayers and running back Matto play great football in all three phases of the game. thew Bahn. Offensively, I don’t know if we are going to be a home “Our goal and expectations are to try and compete run team as far as breaking off the 50, 60, and 70-yard for a conference championship and I think that is every gains. However, at the same time, we have to have the coach’s goal at the beginning of the year however we mentality to move the chains. do have a lot of new faces in a lot of new places without File Photo “Defensively, we are kind of built on applying prestons of experience,” said Jarrett about this year’s team. Happy Valley head sure,” continued Jarrett. “We are going to try to come “Right now, we are trying to take it in a day-by-day coach Jason Jarrett from a lot of different places and really be extremely mentality which I know is cliche football talk but it’s aggressive on that side of the ball. On the flip side of a reality now at Happy Valley. Our goal is to be ultimately better at the that, if everyone doesn’t do what they are supposed to do you are suscepend of the year than what we are at the beginning and it’s a day by day tible to a big play.” mentality but at the same time we are going to try and put our best foot Jarrett echoed the sentiments of many coaches throughout the area as forward and we are going to competing and hopefully be in the mix once the new realignment has made it difficult for the Warriors to find compeagain for a conference championship.” tition who might be on the same level as the Warriors. Jarrett agreed that replacing skill is a tough thing to do but in the “There are no weeks off for our football team this season,” added Warrior camp he feels that utilizing a number of players could play out Jarrett. “There are no guaranteed wins. We are going to have to bring it to be a positive for the 2021 Warrior squad. each and every week and that is something that we are trying to get our “With the skill guys that graduated last year, it’s going to be tough to kids to understand - that we can’t be content with anything that we have replace those, especially by one individual,” Jarrett added. “We are going accomplished in the past because it’s a whole new year and a whole new to have to by committee and right now from the quarterback position, football team and we have to bring that mentality. we have a three-way competition for it right now, and up until we had to “If you are going to be a champion, you have to play great football in take a break we had done really equal reps in the seven-on-seven as well all three phases of the game.” as in the one scrimmage that we had.
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