A lot is riding on Friday night’s season opener between the Kingston Redskins and the Dickson Comets. The Redskins, coming off a 0-10 season are hoping to establish momentum that turns their football program around. The Comets are wanting to build on past success and take it to another level.
“This game against Kingston should show us a lot about what we’re made of,” Dickson coach Mitchell Crittenden said. “They’re improved as a team, and we’re striving to set the bar higher. Kingston will be a good challenge for us because they make you work hard. Coach (Greg) Mitchell is doing the right things with his team.
Crittenden will be looking for some players to step up and take positions in these first few games.
“Several positions are still not claimed,” Crittenden said. “We’ll be looking for people in this first game to take leadership roles and prove they want to play. We want to win the football game for sure, but we don’t want a win if our players don’t learn from it. Building momentum goes a long way. Belief in what you’re doing is important.”
Mitchell believes his Redskins are better this season. And he is hoping to see a more physical presence and improved discipline from his squad.
“This week’s game should provide proof that our hard work has paid off,” Mitchell said. “We need to be more physical. We have 36 on our roster this year, and that will help us a lot as we work to have fewer people going both ways.
“We also need to be very disciplined,” Mitchell said. “On defense we must stay focused and watch for Dickson’s motion offense. The “Wing T” is tough to defend against, and we’ll need to stay in our lanes. Winning is important, but we really want to see improvement from what we saw last season.”
