Gridiron Football Preview-Elizabethton Star 2020 | Page 12
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
[email protected]
Happy Valley Warrior head
coach Jason Jarrett has
been around the game of
football long enough to
know what wins and losses high school
football games.
Even with the delay of getting his
program off and running this year,
Jarrett just hopes that his team is ready
to go to work deep in the trenches as
football resumes in the most unique of
circumstances with COVID-19 in 2020.
“We are just excited first and
foremost to get back out there to be
together as a team,” Jarrett stated.
“With the off-season that we have had,
we really didn’t know what to expect
especially this first game of the year
but everybody is in the same boat.
“We will get better as the year goes
on. Ultimately, you want to be playing
your best football at the end of the year
and hopefully, we make it to the end of
the year.
“We are doing everything in our
power to ensure that by wearing masks
and following all the guidelines and
safety is the most important thing,” the
Happy Valley skipper added.
“We have a really good senior class
and they are a joy to be around and
are fun to coach - just a great bunch
of kids. We hope their leadership will
hopefully lead us through to success.”
While the offensive backfield and
wide receivers receive the bulk of the
Getting ready in the trenches…
Warriors look to dominate on both sides of the football in 2020
Jason Jarrett
Heach Coach
press, Jarrett says that without his
strong and battle-tested Warriors in the
trenches those writers wouldn’t have a
whole lot to write about.
“It starts up in the trenches and
that’s really where we return the most
experience is upfront on both sides of
the ball offensively and defensively,”
he said.
“We got some guys up there that
can pave the way. That is where the
games are won and lost and they know
it, we know it, and everybody knows it.
“But the guys that usually get all
the credit behind them, we feel really
confident in our quarterback Eli Ayers.
He is a guy that throughout the years
has had some experience.
“He was forced into some playing
time early and he started a few games
for us here and there. We feel like his
leadership and his management is
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really going to help us offensively.
“We are really excited about
Matthew Bahn, Gabe Nickels, Andrew
Little – those guys we feel can be some
playmakers. Our tight ends and our
fullbacks are going to be used in the
running game and passing game as
well.
“It’s going to be a team effort,”
added Jarrett. “We lost some quality
skill players last year so it’s going to
be running back by committee and
receiver by committee. The guys up
front have got to lead us.”
One thing that Jarrett is extremely
proud of is that his team has quickly
found ways to gel due to missing out
on so much time.
The Warrior coach said that he
and his coaches try to start that process
of creating a family atmosphere when
most players are still young before they
even think about their high school
experience.
“It’s been extremely challenging,”
Jarrett commented. “Most of the
conversations have been through text
messages and phone calls. There is
merit to the off-season and building
relationships.
“Fortunately for us and our coaching
staff here, we start that when they
are young.
“A lot of our older guys, we have
already had those relationships thankfully.
That has been a hard thing is
getting the team together to bond. And
that takes a little bit of time.
“We saw some of that the last three
2020 HAPPY
VALLEY
SCHEDULE
September
4—at Hampton*
11—UNICOI
18—COSBY*
**Homecoming**
25—UNAKA
October
2—Open
9—at Johnson
County
16— SULLIVAN
NORTH*
23—Open
30—SOUTH
GREENE*
**Senior Night**
ALL CAPS denotes
home games
* denotes region games