Time is getting tight for the defending 8-AA champion Jefferson Dragons as they continue to prepare to defend their title.
With the August 28 season opener now just a little over a week away, the Dragon Nation is hoping to see a continuation of their dominance over in-county rival Commerce.
This year marks the second season that the Dragons and Tigers have opened their seasons against each other. Last year, it was the Dragons who came away victorious, recording their second straight win over Commerce.
But for new coach T. McFerrin, the focus has been more on the Dragons than on their opponents, as he and his staff have worked to adjust their team to changes.
But, McFerrin said, his players have worked hard at it.
“From the very beginning they’ve understood that it’s going to take hard work,” he said. “They’re used to hard work. Bill Navas did a great job in installing that kind of an attitude. That has not been a problem. It just takes some time, when you do anything a little different, it just takes some time to get it down. I feel like we are making some progress now.”
One important factor to that progress has been the seniors that the Dragons have returning to the team. Seventeen seniors, quarterback Darius Minor, Lucas Redd, Tyler Porter and Caleb Meek are helping to form a strong group of leaders for Jefferson.
McFerrin noted that it’s the same number of seniors that the Dragons had during their 2008 season, when the team went undefeated in the region.
“That’s important, especially when you have guys that have started,” McFerrin said. “And then you want to have good leadership also. I think that’s always important for a football team.”
McFerrin added that he has seen that leadership emerge on the practice field.
“We have a leadership council that’s going to be the liaison group between the coaches and the players. I let the players elect the leadership council. From the leadership council I’m getting some good input, and we’ll elect captains later on.”
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.
