The Jackson County Panthers hit the field the last two weeks for spring practice with a new system and with high hopes of making 2009 a strong, winning football season for JCCHS.
With practice under his team’s belts, JCCHS head football coach Billy Kirk was prepared to give a report card this week on how things went for his team during the first official practice of 2009.
Overall, he gave the team a B-, saying the Panthers were more physical than he had seen in his two previous years at JCCHS.
“The kids believe that ‘it can be done’ here and our coaches are committed to making it happen,” he said. “The enthusiasm, competitiveness, and fundamentals this spring were refreshing and I believe all of these variables will transfer to the fall.”
Over 600 people came out to the spring game Saturday to support the team, Kirk said.
“Our community continues to blow me away with their support of our football program,” he added.
For his new look defense, Kirk said his players earned a B+.
“The defensive unit was able to play football rather than think about a lot of adjustments and it showed on the field,” Kirk said. “We have simplified the package and coverages to take the guesswork out of defense. I believe less is more and with our new scheme the kids responded well.”
Kirk said he saw better tackling, coverage and a more physical approach than he had seen in two years. Kirk said new defensive coordinator Jay Reid, a letterman at Georgia Tech, had a great spring.
“He…will be a big asset to our program with the enthusiasm and the ability to teach the kids our new scheme.”
Kirk had similarly strong marks for the Panthers’ offense, giving them a B-.
“The offense was great to see after all the hard work by our coaching staff this off-season,” he said. “We spent a lot of time at clinics and with the staff at Middle Tennessee State University learning our new system.
“I was not disappointed by our spring game, we had several missed snaps, and blocks, and some routes were not done exactly right, but overall I was pleased. The spring is the time to see those things and we will be able to coach off the film for our corrections.”
Kirk said the team did figure out several key positions offensively and said that, moving into the summer, he felt those players would get better at what he wants them to do.
“I believe in the new system and know it’s the right thing for our program. Carl Cole will be leading our offensive unit with our new spread scheme and brings a lot of experience to the offense.”
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.
