Coach, thanks for checking in with us from down there in Silla last season.

I know you didn't make it to the last game of the year, but it was it was a great run for you.

Another double digit win season.

The lessons from 2022 that you've brought with you to the 23 season would be what?

I don't know if there's any lessons necessarily.

You know, obviously we would have like to finish that game and had the the changes we made in the second half for the first half.

So we didn't get behind so much start of it.

But I don't know if there's any necessarily lessons or anything like that, but we just got to start games better.

You've been so successful at Erwin the past three years heading into your fourth season.

How is practice this year?

Are you implementing anything new or is it same old, same old?

Give us a recap of spring and summer ball so far.

Pretty much the same old, same old.

We're going we're going to do what we do.

That's just what we do for our younger programs and and carried on up to here.

So we're going to we're going to do what we do and just try to get better at it.

And all that practice has been great so far.

It's it has been different for me.

Obviously, this be the this'll be the first year I haven't had one of my youngest either as a manager or playing for me for a really long time.

I start with my older son Tyler and to Cody, who just finished up last year.

So it is different every once while I look around, try to find one of them and they're not to be found.

And so that makes it a little bit different.

But the practices have been going great, coaches have been going well and we've had a lot of participation.

We got to right around 80 some kids out right now.

And so I've been real happy.

Region One D1 is where you are with this go round after they split at the old region one So Region one.

D1 You're in with Brooks, you're in with Pelham, you're in with bacon, which means that you've got to find a lot of non region games.

When you look at your schedule here in 23, what do you see about the ten games on the schedule and I'd like to fire the guy that made the score.

I know you would, man.

Let me tell you, it's we got it.

We got a good one.

It obviously it'll just be the flip side of of last year's schedule.

But the one plus every time I look at it though, is I don't have to go to Throckmorton.

That's the that's the one plus for sure.

That was a that was a long, long drive.

We got up there and even though we won, it was a long trip back.

It was a long trip back.

That's why we were just long time and so I'm glad they have to make that trip this year and not us.

But obviously Swain's burners and the team up north and early counties and all of them on it.

We've got a pretty good schedule.

Irwin's always loaded with talent.

Coach Tell me about some of your playmakers are getting offers in this off season.

And then, of course, a kid on yo Well, we got Shane Marshall, who's the running back.

He's gotten a couple offers and got some looks and he is definitely a kid that they should be looking at.

He's just a great kid and a great running back.

And if people would see how he works, they would know why he's getting the offers that he's getting.

He deserves everything we get because he works hard for another guy, Michael Joyner.

He defensive linemen force.

They'll be returning He's played for the he started for the last couple of years and another guy that has really just at the really he's one of the stories you like to talk about because I know like when he when he first started with us, I wasn't sure if me or him was going to make it, but then he bought it, did all the things he was supposed to do, and now he's one of them guys I like to be around.

I want in around.

I want kids to see what he's doing because his body completely works out hard, does all the things he's supposed to do now.

He's one of our team leaders and so great guy, and he's gotten a few offers and I'm really proud of what he's doing.

Brodie Suggs is another guy place tight end force.

You know, a lot of people looking at him again, just all these guys have that same common thread.

They deserve what they're getting because they're working for that.

They go out, they put in extra time, they don't just do it going out practice time, but they do it on their time and and all that kind of stuff.

And yeah, you said somebody a guy that probably deserves one.

That's probably Jackie and Thomas plays DB four started last year, did really good for us, but he was overshadowed by some of the names that we had back in the secondary last year with Beau Payne and Malachi had and, and some of those guys.

And so now it's kind of his show.

He's the one returning.

DB we got and man, he, he's been a really good leader for us this all season, really fast, really worked on his craft, done really good.

Some camps that we've been to and I'm just wait for somebody else to notice that and and give him an offer one of your first non region games traditionally is against the team up north and if someone has never seen this game can I mention the school in your interview?

Can I mention the name of the school?

Yeah, you can.

Okay.

It's when Erwin plays Fitzgerald.

I just.

I just wanted to make sure.

So when Erwin plays Fitzgerald, if you've never gone to see this game, go see this game.

I mean, literally underline exclamation, italicize, boldface, that it's part of the fabric of what athletics means down there in South Georgia.

For someone who has never been to an Irwin County game, has never been to Buddy Noble's, has never been to Wasilla, what does athletics and all the extracurricular stuff mean to everybody there in Erwin County?

Oh, it's it's you just it's what you do on Friday night.

It's how you get your weekend going.

It's it's it's all that our community it's obviously not very big.

But they they they love football.

They love their athletics and not just football.

They like it all.

But, you know, they really like it on Friday nights going out there and packing and stadium.

And and I'll be honest, our team wouldn't be as good if we did not have the community support that we have from from these places.

And they get hit up hard.

I mean, if you take all that, I think sometimes some of the places in bigger towns don't realize it, but we don't have different businesses to go head up.

We got to go hit up the exact same businesses that we always do, try to to fund this program and all that kind of stuff.

And and so doesn't all the other sport programs we have here, because we only got a handful of businesses here and they do a great job supporting us.

And honestly, our school and our football program wouldn't be what it is without the community support that we get, you know, not just on Friday nights, but throughout the year, trying to get us things, feeding us, doing all the things that people do for this.

It's just tremendous.

And there's a lot of tradition that goes on down there.

Coach, what's one of your favorite gameday traditions that you'd like to share?

Just for me?

Because I don't I don't go through that.

You know, the kids go into our weight room and then I, I have to ask every year because I never can remember the song, But there's a song that I play and and then our kids start to come out and break through there.

But I am standing usually on from the fieldhouse side of it, looking from the players up into the to the bleachers, because I don't come out necessarily with them.

And just to see them run out and then see the fans get excited, it's it gives me goosebumps.

Think about it right now.

Me too.

Me too.