by Rusty Ellis
The Gordonsville Tigers had a successful 2022 campaign that saw them win nine games and make it to the Class A State Quarterfinals.
It’s a run that included a 14-7 win at South Pittsburg, some head coach Stephen Jackson knows the program hadn’t done in a long time.
“I thought we had a great year, anytime you make it to the quarterfinals as one of the final eight teams playing, it’s a great year,” Jackson said. “Winning at South Pittsburg was a big accomplishment, we haven’t done that in a few years…everyone wants to win their last game, and only one team does.”
The 2023 rendition of the Tigers sees them return a healthy amount of their core from a year ago, mixed with a few new faces such as quarterback J Foster.
“He’s a sophomore that saw snaps in the preseason last year,” Jackson said. “All the preseason scrimmages last year, he was the guy and he got a lot of work in…he’s done a lot of good work to get the ball where it needs to go and he’s learned our offense really well.”
Around him is a veteran group of skill players that Foster should be able to lean on throughout the season.
“Our running back Canaan Musgrove is back, and he’ll be a key part once again of the offense,” Jackson said. “He can run the ball and can catch it out of the backfield. Brady Gentry has started the last few years at receiver for us, and we’re fortunate to have him back. Dalton Hancock is another receiver that started every game last year…Kyle Adams has started in the slot for us, so we’re trying to get him the ball to see what he can do with it.”
The offensive line also returns some key pieces, as Jackson knows that’s a unit that’ll need to be great for them to get where they want to go.
“Mason Greer is back, he’ll be a junior,” Jackson said. “Colton Clemons will be a senior for us and he’s back. Xander Hackney started at Tight End and he’s moved inside to guard for us. Will George played a lot last year as well on the offensive line, so four guys back on the line is something that we’re going to hang our hat on as far as the run game and playing physical at the point of attack.”
As is the nature of a Class A team, most of these players will also take up big roles on defense. Adams is one of the many Jackson mentioned that he’s expecting big things out of on that side of the ball.
“We’re going to play a lot of guys both ways,” Jackson said. “Musgrove will be one of our linebackers, and he’s going to have to make a lot of plays for us…Remington Baines plays safety and a little bit of nickel, he’s had a great offseason for us. Kyle Adams is the quarterback of our secondary, he just makes sure we’re in the right spots. We’ve got some new faces on that side, but it’s young guys who are hungry and ready to contribute.”
With all of that said, Jackson knows what the expectation is in Gordonsville and he wants this team to reach it’s full potential.
“Winning ball games is something that everyone wants to do,” Jackson said. “We just want to teach these kids hard work and accountability each week. We’ve got a really tough schedule early…we’ve just go to get better each week and hopefully by playoff time, we’re hitting our full stride.”
Gordonsville opens the season on Thursday, as they host county-rival Smith County.