Off and running
Red Bank among Hamilton County teams back on the field for workouts
Every opportunity that has come Lumiere Strickland’s way so far he has taken and ran with it.
Entering his third and final season as a workhorse running back for Red Bank High School, the speedster who brings shiftiness and explosion to his game is aiming to win a state championship while also paying tribute to someone near and dear to him.
“This senior year means everything to me and our class,” said Strickland after Monday’s first summer training session. “We want to wake the whole city and state up. I am giving the game my all for my mom (Maggie Ann Bloodsaw). She is my inspiration and queen. She did everything for me while she was on this earth.”
Taking the bible verse Philippians 4:13 to heart, which says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, Strickland is ready to roll once again as he and his teammate, as well as all other teams in Hamilton County, returned to the football field for the first time since COVID-19 shut school and all athletics down in the middle of March.
Opponents hoped to gather their breath after trying to contain former Red Bank star Calvin Jackson III, but the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Strickland has provided no such break.
The back-to-back Region 3-3A running back of the year has 30 touchdowns and over 2,000 all-purpose yards over the last two double-digit win seasons.
Despite being behind schedule compared to past seasons, which consisted of spring practices and intense June training, taking things slower this offseason sits just fine with the Lions.
“Life has everything to do with timing,” said Strickland who has scholarship offers from UTC, Austin Peay, Tennessee State, ETSU, Gardner Webb, Campbell University, Southeast Missouri and Eastern Kentucky. “Sometimes you have to wait and be okay with it. I felt like it was best for us to wait with the pandemic. It was worth the break, but I am so happy because it feels great to be back.”
Red Bank’s coaching staff went above and beyond to keep things safe at Monday’s practice, which featured nearly 20 skill position players. Tuesday’s practice will involve linemen as coaches try to spread people out as much as possible.
Players worked in groups and maintained six feet apart while conditioning and going through schemes for the last part of Monday morning’s 3-hour practice. Players and coaches even wore masks when in closer contact and had cleaning stations where coaches were equipped with boxes of hand sanitizer, cleaning spray and wipes.
While the heavy lifting will wait for now, the Lions are simply glad to be back together after seeing what could be taken away during the COVID-19 shutdown.
“We love these kids and will never take for granted another second around them,” Red Bank coach Chris Brown said. “We have great coaches and leaders here who are going to help them adapt to the new normal. Fortunately, we have a lot of kids who have played a lot of critical snaps and made big plays and they know what we expect of them. It’s great to be back around each other again. We are working towards that state championship ring and helping these kids do something great after high school.”
Looking to make summer gains, Strickland added: “You have to lock in even now when we are training and doing the little things. You have to be ready to go when the lights come on. That means get here on time every day, being ready to work and having a great mindset.”