High School Football Preview: Montgomery Academy
Two years after moving up from 3A to 4A, the Montgomery Academy football team has made the playoffs both seasons. But the Eagles suffered back-to-back first-round losses. Now, they aim to advance further with a young team consisting of just five seniors and eight juniors.
“That’s 13 guys that are juniors and seniors. So, at times it’s like, we’re going to carpool somewhere because not enough of us can drive, so that’s fun,” said Ethan McBride, Montgomery Academy football head coach. “But when you have seniors that are going to set the tone at all times with the way that they practice, it’s just contagious, right? Younger guys look and see, ‘Oh, that’s how I do things.'”
McBride credited seniors Graham Martin and Derrick Vinson for stepping into leadership roles as they’ve grown up through the program.
Martin, said he’s seen leadership across all ages.
“It’s not like other teams, where it’s like only the seniors lead,” Martin, a senior offensive and defensive lineman, noted. ” We have great class of juniors. We have sophomores that are coming up and leading, and I’ve seen freshmen step out there and lead.”
As the Eagles move into their second year in the spread offense, they’re hoping for success. And too prove the doubters wrong.
“Some people think we kind of fell off,” Derrick Vinson, a wide receiver and safety, said about how the Eagles have done since moving up to 4A. “Not the best last two years, but we still are that team. We are Montgomery Academy, and we will be this year.”
