LENA, La. (KALB) - The Northwood-Lena Gators are chomping at the bit to make a statement this season under the leadership of 5th-year Head Coach Tommy Moore.
“Expecting a better year than what we had last year,” said Coach Moore. “We’re an older football team. This is my fifth year here. Most of these guys played for me when they were in the 8th grade. Anytime you have a more experienced group, your expectations for your season go up.”
This season, the team is prepared to take on the challenging schedule with extensive upperclassmen leadership.
“Being seniors, we gotta set the standard,” said senior receiver Jahari McCoy. “When we go 100%, we know they’re going to 100%. The main thing is us going 100% and showing up, that you work hard. It’s going to come no matter what.”
“We are older, and a little more mature team,” said senior running back Ajaveon Butler. “We are a little more into the game than we were last year. I try to stay on top of everybody. I hold myself accountable, because I’m gonna tell you something. I’m gonna make sure I do the same thing.”
“Preparation and a lot of practice mentally,” said senior guard Jayden Thedford. “Mental reps out there practicing in heat and fatigue, you gotta learn how to push through it. Make sure everybody stays motivated. Locked in and things just like that. Having a team morale high. Don’t let everybody get down in practice. That’s where you start losing, losing yourself and losing your team.”
With the small school size, the team utilizes its athletes on both offense and defense.
“I think it’s an advantage because it makes you tougher,” said Coach Moore. “Play offense, you’re going to play defense. Might occasionally come off the field, but our society and our world today, it’s kind of changed from when I started 30 years ago. They’re going to come into some situations in life where it’s going to be tough, and they’ve already gone through it on the field playing both sides of football. I know that sounds kind of odd, but that’s the way I view it. We’re kind of old school football out here.”
“Now we’re all kind of like a big family,” said junior receiver Jesus Gonzalez. “I feel like we always go 100% no matter what, we never give up. I feel like that’s key to us always doing good on the field. We’ve been practicing all summer long, and I just feel like this is a really good year for us to do something good.”
This year, the athletics department acquired a new weight room, allowing the athletes to work harder.
“The new weight room has helped tremendously, not only for the football program, but for all our programs,” said Coach Moore. “You get a bigger area, you get newer equipment, and it gives the kids something to be proud of that they can walk in here and be a little bit more motivated when you see new things. That’s what we hoped it would do. It would be a motivator for our kids to get in here and work a little bit harder.”
“It motivates us to excel in the weight room,” said Thedford. “We excel in the weight room; we can excel on the field. It all starts in here. It starts on the field during summertime conditions and weight training, and by that, we can go into practice. We’d be a lot better, stronger, more conditioned. So, it helps us during the game.”
The Northwood-Lena Gators open their season at home against the Menard Eagles on September 5.
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