High School Football Previews: Pike Road & St. James
High School Football
Pike Road
Last season the Patriots ended the 2022 regular season with a 6-4 record. The Patriots also made it to the second round of the playoffs, where they narrowly lost to Homewood 24-21.
This season former Trinity Head Coach, Granger Shook, takes over as Head Coach at Pike Road.
“When we got coach Shook, there was a lot of structure. He came in and we were real structured. He let us know that he was going to love us, but that he was going to be hard on us at the same time. Ever since he got here, everything has been smooth sailing,” says Malik Brockton (senior/ defensive tackle.)
Houston Markham, a senior defensive back, explains that this offseason the team has been working exceptionally hard in hopes of getting back to where they were just two years ago, winning a state title.
“The offseason has been a grind. This summer we’ve got guys laying in the locker room after workouts, so it’s been a grind this summer. We look to accomplish some big things this year, such as winning a state championship,” says Markham.
And while this team does want to be a team that is known for their winning record, another thing that is immensely important to them is being known for their character.
“We want to be a team that never quits, no matter what the scoreboard is looking like. We don’t want to let the scoreboard determine how hard we play. We want to play at the same level, no matter if we’re winning by 40 or losing by 40,” says Markham.
The Patriots open up the 2023 season August 25th on the road at Marist (Ga.)
St. James
Last season the St. James Trojans finished as the 3A State Champions. Now headed into 2023 they look to defend their title.
St. James losing seven seniors from last year’s team, a lot of which were key parts of the offensive and defensive lines.
“We’ve been pushing conditioning and strength. Losing some of those bigger guys, that kind of makes it where there’s a hole, we’ve got the speed, we’ve got the athleticism, but we need to have that strength in the core and up front on the offensive and defensive lines
. That’s what we’ve been pushing this summer,” says Head Coach Neal Posey.
Senior quarterback, KJ Jackson, explains that while they know they’ll have a target on their back coming into the season, the team see’s it as more of a battle against themselves.
“We’re pushing ourselves everyday. I feel like it’s more of a battle versus ourselves to get better and to try and get back to the point where we were last year,” says Jackson.
The Trojans open up the 2023 season August 25th at home against Montgomery Academy.
