Red Devil Football is back and opens the season against longtime rival Gilmer County. With a newcoaching staff, Calhoun fans are hopeful to turn what has been a pretty rough road for Calhoun Football around despite having brought back a more LKC dominant schedule.
Even though the coaches are new, none are a stranger to Calhoun football or athletics, as two can be seen on the Wall of Fame at CMHS. Head Coach Jeffrey Goodrich and Assistant Coach Zac Yeager grew up in Calhoun, graduating from CMHS in 2008, and both earning the honor of having their photographs hung on the Wall of Fame, Goodrich for Football and Yeager for wrestling, these two can remember the days where there were more victories than losses in a single season, and what it took to earn them. While Assistant Coach Nathan Allison may not have graduated from Calhoun, since moving here a few years back he has spent his time coaching various Calhoun sports and has been dedicated to developing young athletes into their fullest potential.
After reading what Gilmer’s Head Coach Ben Hall had to say in the interview with WBOY Clarksburg, Ridgeview News thought it’d be great for fans to hear what Calhoun’s coaching staff and players think about the upcoming contest.
The staff have spent the off-season rebuilding the program and getting the athletes in the gym, in the hopes of coming back bigger, stronger and faster this fall. The Red Devils, having the biggest majority of their team participating in summer workouts, are ready to take the field Friday night and are confident they can give Gilmer a run for their money. We asked Coach Goodrich what he hopes to see this week he said, “I hope to see the kids play good physical football! If we limit mistakes and take care of the things they are able to, they will be in good shape. I want for them to see the results of the hard work they’ve put in from the end of last season until now, and be able to come out of Gilmer knowing that they left it all on the field!” When questioned about Gilmer’s smash-mouth football, Goodrich’s answer couldn’t have been more onpoint with the way he coaches his team. He said, “I love it! That’s class A football. I look forward to a good physical game from both teams. It’ll show who’s in shape and wants it more, so we are excited for a game like this!”
Coach Yeager who is not known for wasting words said, “Watch out for people who are always bragging about who they are, a lion would never have to tell me it’s a lion.”
We asked Senior Tyler Nelson and Junior, Landon Richards what their thoughts were about the
confidence level displayed in the piece, Nelson chuckled and responded, “I can say I know one thing we worked harder than ever this year and we want it, they can say what they want, but we will have to wait and see who comes out on top.” Richards had a similar response stating, “I’m ready. I know that I’ve just gotta go out and do my job and take it one quarter at a time and hopefully we all do enough to bring home the win.”
With this being Goodrich’s first year as head coach we asked what he thought the most improved aspect of his team was going into the upcoming season and with this being a rivalry game what his favorite Calhoun/Gilmer memory was. He was quick to respond, “Our energy and work ethic! We have a lot of hustle with the group we have this year, and they don’t let up for anything that we’ve done to this point. They have bought in to everything we’ve been doing and we have had a great turnout since the end of last season. This is a hungry group, and they will be an exciting bunch to keep an eye on this year! And as for my favorite memory from playing in this same game years ago, Personally for me we always opened with Gilmer, and I think we should. It’s a great neighboring county game that really gets both fan bases fired up, and gives someone bragging rights for a year. As far as a favorite memory you could always expect a good crowd wherever the game was, and it made for a great atmosphere for a season opener!”
Here! Here! Coach Here! Here! These Calhoun Gilmer games, no matter the sport, are always some of the most fun atmospheres to be in and we couldn’t have said it better ourselves! The only person who could sum it any better is Coach Nathan Allison, a Gilmer County native, who’s been on the other side of these games. He said, “If you’ve ever played high school football under the Friday night lights, you know what a feeling it is. Football is like life it’s a game of inches, and a inch can bring victory or defeat. Never take anything for granted. Always keep fighting, even when everything seems stacked against you. Our players are battle tested. We had rigorous summer camp plus 2 a days. I believe our team is ready to execute. It’s a big rivalry and always has been! We don’t need a label on our team, we know how hard we’ve prepared this offseason. People always look at the longevity of our schedule, we are only looking one week at a time. My goal is to go 1-0 every week! Come out and show your support to your Calhoun County Red Devils!!”
The Red Devils will take the field tonight in Glenville, kickoff set for 7pm. Grab your Calhoun or even your Gilmer gear and come out for what’s sure to be a fun night under the Friday Night Lights!
Good luck!!