48 Blitz Preseason: Get to know Lee, Lauderdale County, Sylvania & Buckhorn
Previews begin across North Alabama
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - The 2023 High School Football season kicks off with Week Zero August 25th.
The Lee Generals missed the playoffs in 2022, but with talented playmakers including Carlin Long, Generals Head Coach Irv McGuire believes 2023 could be special.
“Just a lot of hard work in the off season has brought in a lot of guys, we’ve done a lot of good things, whether it’s been community, social media, and just the way our guys carry their selves in the building, I think that’s drawn a good character guy out here, and the guys want to be part of that,” McGuire said. “They want to build on it and they want to be like the first class I had and make it to the playoffs. "
The Playoff tradition continues for Lauderdale County High School. The Tigers reached the postseason for the seventh consecutive year under Head Coach Jeff Mason. to reach the post season in 2023, Mason believes the running backs will be key in Class 3A.
“What I’ve seen is their work ethic and their unselfishness,” Mason said. “These guys don’t mind working. They don’t care what spot they play, they don’t care who’s getting the ball or who’s making the tackle. They care about each other as a team and I think, really that’s the strongest point for us.”
The Sylvania Rams finished the 2022 season one game away from the 3A Championship game. After a 10-4 season, Head Coach Tyler Vann hopes the program can take the next step and become champions. To reach their goal, they must compete in the always tough Class 3A, Region 6.
“Every team that we play has a really good coaching staff, so you have to prepare the right way,” Vann said. “It makes it tough, but also on the other hand, it’s encouraging and it makes you want to be better. But our guys want to be better and they’re excited.”
The Buckhorn Bucks reached the playoff in Class 6A under first year head coach Matt Patterson. In order to reach the postseason in Patterson’s second season, the offensive line must dominate the line of scrimmage all season.
“We return 70 starts on our offensive line this year,” Patterson said. “Those guys are workout partners and they push each other all year long. they push the backups, and they made all those guys get better. And we’re gonna win or lose up front, period.”
Click Here to Subscribe on YouTube: Watch the latest WAFF 48 news, sports & weather videos on our YouTube channel!
Copyright 2023 WAFF. All rights reserved.
