Junction City busy preparing for 2021 season
It would be easy to break Junction City's 2020 football season into two parts.
The Dragons played three games before being idle for nearly a month due to bye weeks and being in coronavirus protocols.
Junction City returned on Oct. 9, falling to eventual state champion Fordyce 21-6, but the Dragons won their next seven games culminating with a trip to the 2A state semifinals.
“I've never been prouder of a team,” Junction City coach Brad Smith said. “I've been part of seven championships here at Junction City and been a part of 11 finals, I was part of one at Ruston, and I've never seen a team overcome so many obstacles to do what they did.
“We went 28 days between games. We have guys that their parents don't want them to play for quite a while. We had a plethora of injuries. We lost seven days of practice, which led to some of the injuries. They always came to work. Those 28 days we were out, we never had a bad practice, which is shocking. Everybody knew what they were supposed to do. Just a super bunch of kids. The ball didn't flip their way in the end or we would've been there.”
Although their season ended just a few weeks ago, the Dragons are already getting ready for the 2021 season.
“We're going to get in the weight room and work on what we work on. Lifting, explosion, speed,” Smith said. “The rule at Junction City is if you make the finals, you get the rest of the year off. If you don't, you start lifting. We started lifting two weeks ago. It wasn't as hardcore as it's going to be, but sort of seeing what they're going to be getting into.”
The Dragons will also have to find a way to replace a senior class that went to the state finals in their first three years.
“We've got to replace about 15 good football players,” Smith said. “We're going to have to do that. It's a never-ending cycle. You've just got to keep rolling with it. Every year presents its benefits and its assets. There's always problems fit in there, so you've just got to be prepared for it and do what you do.”
But if there is one area that was a pleasant surprise for the Dragons, it was the play of their newcomers that included several sophomores.
“Right now, our big worry is trust. That's what we always talk about is, ‘Who do you trust?' What that actually means is guys that have played,” Smith said. “Guys that have played in big moments, big times. Right now, I think we counted up 13 guys that have played when it mattered, and we're going to have to add to that number.
“We've got some young men that we're pretty certain are going to. That was our big shock of the year. We didn't have very many sophomores, but what the sophomores did for us. Kristopher Norman was one of our leading defenders, as was Corey Dubose. Austin Mendoza played really good defense and was a really, really good offensive guard. Tyler Spooner was our fifth defensive back, and he made a ton of plays. We expect great things from Slade Wilson. He did a great job on special teams and played wherever we needed him.
“We weren't counting on a lot of those guys to do that. They stepped up and did really, really well. Bryan Estrada played quite a bit early when we were banged up and hurt and did a really good job. Those guys right there, that's what we're looking for. We've got a good freshman class coming in.
“We suspended three for grades and hopefully they'll get their act together and get back with us. I think there was 14 of them and now we're down to 11. We see some potential there. Now old Father Time works when he works. You can't rush a kid to get ready. He'll get ready at his own pace. If you try to rush one, you end up causing problems.”