Coach Joey Mathis
Q. How would you characterize this year’s team?
A. Unselfish team with tremendous work ethic. They have put in many hours over the course of the off-season in order to achieve the program goals we have here.
Q. What will be the keys to your success?
A. As with every team, we need to stay healthy and focus on getting better daily.
Q. Who will be your key leaders on the team?
A. Seth Lyle (Sr., OL), Isaiah Sampson (Sr., QB), Garrett Jaudon (Sr., DL), Ermiyas Bowden (Sr., WR/DL), Jax Rollins (Sr., RB/LB), Alex Nunez (So., RB/OLB), and Brett Nelson (Jr., RB/OLB).
Q. What are your biggest reasons for optimism?
A. The kids were extremely committed to the off-season process. They are very dedicated to this school, community, and program.
Q. What will keep you up at night?
A. As with my own son, the decisions made by young men away from the fieldhouse. Kids today are bombarded by outside influences, and we want them to be aware of how a poor decision can impact their lives and our team.
Q. What can you build on from last year?
A. Learning how to prepare each day and each week.
Q. Any lessons learned from last year?
A. We have to be mentally tougher than we were last year.
Coach’s View
We play a tough schedule against some talented, well-coached football teams. We have to focus daily and improve with every practice. We have some holes to fill, and kids have been working hard to fill them. We know if we are mentally tough and our team chemistry is solid, we can put the type of team on the field this school and community have come to expect.
Photos by Garrett Sowder
Manny Burkes
Alex Nunez
Ermiyas Bowden
Isaiah Sampson
Brett Nelson
Jax Rollins
