Devils lay it on ‘The Line’ in 2019

One thing is for sure about Friday night’s high school football season opener.

Coach Eric Knott is proud to be back with his team on the sidelines.

The Red Devils coach was forced to sit out last season, due to treatments taking place in Memphis.

But, since the Summer practices and scrimmages began, coach Knott said he is feeling great and ready for football.

“I feel better than I have felt in a long time, but I don’t know if it is because I just felt so bad last year. You know with something like that, you get a new perspective on things. You wake up a little different. A new perspective on life. The Sun’s a little brighter, the grass is a little greener. You know, I didn’t get to do this last year, and the old saying of “you don’t know what you have until its gone” was really true. But I am out here with kids, including my own, and it is just a blessing”.

And what coach Knott has already seen from a team that finished (3-8) last season, is a new way of approaching the game.

“It’s a much, much better attitude this season,” said the coach. “Kinda like a sense of urgency. There is an enjoyment about the work we have done, and we have put in a lot more time that we have in the past. The guys are embracing the work to be successful and to be a winner. I demanded a lot more of them, and we participated in a lot more passing leagues and working with other schools. The attitude of this group has been stronger than we have seen in the past three or four years.”

With the new season starting this Friday night, and the return of many veteran, athletic players, coach Knott said anticipation is high for success on the field.

“We are very excited. The strength should be the offensive and defensive lines with all of our returners. We are finding the identity of our offense. We are going to get Greg (Davis) the ball, Dalton (Gray), Drew (Barclay) and Brock (Brown) need the ball. Defensively we have got to swarm to the ball, and have good tackling. We have a lot of experience coming back, we only lost three Seniors last year, and we have six this year. They understand and they want to go out on a high note.”

Coach Knott said the opening game will be a test for the Red Devils, but the overall schedule is a good one for the team.

“As far as our schedule, we are going to open at Stewart County, a larger school that is pretty good. I like the kids to get excited at playing a good opponent to get started. Then we have Fulton County. I see good things from this team. We have to keep progressing, but we have to keep getting better everyday. We need to be consistent and have four quarters of play. There is always things to work on. Effort creates talent and I tell the guys that if they give 100-percent every time, they will win.”

Along with the anticipation of the team and season, coach Knott said “Friday Night Lights” brings excitement for all of the community.

“We have made some improvements on the field and press box that I think our fans will be proud of. We have 10 Friday nights, and it is special to the school, the players and the community. We are going to put a good product on the field. This team has the ability to do well this year. We are going to work and give four quarters of play.”