Gridiron Football Preview-Elizabethton Star 2020 | Page 16

Taking advantage of a Bulldog oddity… An abundance of linemen provides options for Hampton BY IVAN SANDERS STAR SPORTS EDITOR [email protected] Coming into the 2020 season, Hampton Bulldog head coach Michael Lunsford has a situation that most coaches would love to have and that is the fact that he is very heavy in the line – literally. Most of the time, teams will be blessed with an overabundance of skill players but will be short on linemen who can easily get worn down. Not this season. The line will be one of the strengths of the Hampton team in 2020. “We have a second-year quarterback in junior Conor Jones,” said Lunsford. “We feel like he has gained a lot of valuable experience last year and is one of the more talented athletes in the area and in our division. We feel really good about him. “We have some good size. I feel like we have nine kids that I can play in the line that is odd for a Hampton football team. It’s a good thing but it’s not the norm. “We have some experience in the backfield but lost quite a bit of Michael Lunsford Head Coach experience at the wide receiver,” Lunsford explained. “I kind of wished that we were a little more experienced at the receiver since we have got a little bit more experience at the quarterback position. “It seems like the years that you have experience in one place, you lack experience somewhere else. “I feel good about this team with all the distractions going on, very few missed practices and very few things that have affected them.” One of the things that the Bulldog coaching staff has to be aware of is with a loss of several key skill players that their junior quarterback doesn’t feel like he has to do more than is required for his team to win. Lunsford said that he is aware that Jones may feel like he has more pressure on him to execute to a higher level, but he must also realize that football is a team sport and that is why there are 10 others on the field with him to help the team win. “I think that he will feel some of that, but it’s on us and our job to calm him down and make sure he knows what his job is,” stated Lunsford. “His job is to not only be a great player but to make others around him better by not trying to do everything by himself but to use the weapons around him.” Lunsford still believes that the number one strength of his team is the lineman that fill the blue and white uniforms this season. Having this benefit, the coaching staff will be looking to do a few more things offensively utilizing the fact they can set up several plays for different groups of linemen to execute them. “We have good size. That’s probably the strength of our team. We have nine kids that can play in the 16 2020 Hampton Schedule September 4—HAPPY VALLEY* 11—at Cloudland 25—at Johnson County October 2—SULLIVAN NORTH* 9—CLOUDLAND 16—at South Greene* 23—at Unaka 30—COSBY* ALL CAPS denotes home games * denotes region games