PREP FOOTBALL: New coach, a prayer ... can Goldsboro rise from the dust?

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 1, 2017 5:52 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Sweat glistening on their skin, shirts and shorts stained with dirt and grass stuck in their cleats, Goldsboro's football players gathered in a post-practice circle Monday morning.

Suddenly, a voice broke the cool morning air.

Junior quarterback Brody Morton spoke in earnest.

"Oh Lord. Help me be all I can be and all I am. And if I fail, maybe by the code -- honor, duty, love for family, school and the community. Oh Lord, we fight, we fight, we fight.

"Amen."

His teammates repeated each stanza with verve and humility.

And -- most importantly -- with unity.

A program that's endured its fair share of disappointment in recent seasons plans to rise from the dust with a not-so-new skipper -- Elvin James -- whose heart still pumps old blue and maize blood through his veins.

"I thought it meant a new legacy for this town, this school and this program," Morton said. "Recently, we've been going down. You hear about Coach James coming back and it's a great thing. He's taking us on the right path. I can feel it and I think the guys can, too."

A tan bucket hat protected James from the early-morning sun. A bright orange whistle dangled around his neck. He tucked a clipboard underneath his right arm and leaned on an orange-and-white construction cone.

"Where are you supposed to be son?" he barked.

The player answered.

"That's right," James said.

Soon, the helmet-clad group -- 40-something strong -- split into different stations after going through their offensive plays. James' trademark smile curled around his lips and his eyes twinkled as he looked around the field.

An airhorn blew to signal the end of practice.

Consider day one filed.

"When you get to this time of year and you start smelling the grass, you start getting excited because you're thinking about the high expectations you're placing on the kids," James said. "The commitment and the effort has been outstanding. They're pushing each other. They're encouraging each other and you can tell they're definitely a unit."

Grouped together under God.

*

There weren't any twinkling lights.

Or fancy-wrapped packages filled with surprises.

Still, the opening day of high school football season felt like a holiday to veteran Rosewood head coach Robert Britt.

"Other than Christmas, this is the second best day of the year," he laughed.

Clad in either white or purple jerseys, a bunch of lean and athletic-looking Eagles flew to different stations throughout their two-hour session.

Britt and his staff are using the first six days, which does not permit any live contact, to build on the team's conditioning and concentrate on the finer points of each position.

It's all about reps and technique.

In just 20-plus days, Rosewood opens its 2017 campaign with a trip down Pikeville-Princeton Highway to Charles B. Aycock. Soon, he and his coaches will begin devising a gameplan.

"These first few days are important," Britt said. "We've had some kids that didn't play last year. I think we're going to be a little more athletic (and) we're going to be a little more faster."

Replacing a three-year starter at quarterback won't be easy, however. Two players are currently fighting for that spot. Skill positions could be a question, and when you're at a rural 1-A school like Rosewood, a two-platoon system is rarely a commodity.

*

Princeton entered opening day with a well-tempered and business-like demeanor.

The Bulldogs certainly emulated their second-year head coach.

"That's kind of a reflection I'd say of our coaching staff and of me," Travis Gaster said. "All the hype, hollering and hoopla...it don't mean a whole lot. We've got to be good at the fundamentals on a lot of those positions that require concentration.

"Playing defense and playing offense are two totally different things."

Gaster's blue-and-gold clad unit alternated work between the practice and game-day fields. He said the offseason preparation showed dividends and contended, as all coaches do, that there is plenty of room to grow.

The Dogs are small again.

Does that concern returning quarterback Adam Crocker, who helped guide PHS a third-round appearance in the playoffs a year ago?

"We're small again, but we hit the weight room hard and that's always a good thing," Crocker said. "I think we can do as well as we want to do. The only thing I think that's going to stop is ourselves.

"Judging on years we've had in the past, I thought we were a lot more up to speed (on opening day)."