Field dedication, new facilities build occasion at Jessieville
JESSIEVILLE — It’s all about the occasion for the Lions.
Jessieville opens its season against Mineral Springs tonight at Phillips Field, and the occasion includes the debut of a new artificial turf playing surface and a remodeled stadium after a tornado damaged parts of the complex in January.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. because of heat, and the new field will be dedicated at 7:30 p.m. to start proceedings.
“Just a lot of excitement because new facilities, we’ve got a lot of new stuff around here,” Jessieville head coach T.J. Burk said. “The turf field dedication and community appreciation (tonight) is big for our whole school, it’s big for our whole community and it’s definitely big for our football team.”
The occasion also includes the return of Dalton Ellison at quarterback after he got injured just two games into the team’s 2022 campaign.
“Football is a very fickle game,” Burk said. “It can be taken away from you in a heartbeat. We always preach to our kids take advantage of every opportunity that you have because you don’t know how long that’s going to last. That’s all too real to him from last year, so I’m sure he’s excited to get back out there.
The occasion presents Burk and the Lions the opportunity to show the offense can move on from the days of Matthew Huff and Carson Hair. Without Hair and Huff last season and with Ellison hurt early, the Jessieville offense struggled at times, failing to score any points in two games.
“We’re going to try some new stuff,” Burk said. “We’ve tried different personnel packages and just kind of figure out what our strengths are and what our identity is going to be for the rest of the year.”
Last season was a rebuilding year for the Lions. With two three-year starters at wide receiver in Tayt Mounts and Karston Criswell returning this year, Jessieville might be able to put up bigger numbers on the offensive side of the ball.
“It’ll help,” Burk said. “There’s a lot of experience out there. They can settle (Ellison) down some and make him comfortable. These guys have played together for a long time. Comfort within the offense should be a help to us.”
The occasion gives Jessieville a chance to avenge the 45-30 loss suffered at the hands of the Hornets last season on the road.
Mineral Springs went 7-4 last year, including a 32-28 road playoff loss to Carlisle.
“They are very physical up front and they’ve got a lot of talent at the skill positions,” Burk said. “They’re fast. There’s no doubt about it. It’s going to be a good test for us out of the gate. We see them as a team that’s going to go a long ways in (Class) 2A.”
Despite everything that’s built tonight’s game at Phillips Field into a giant occasion, Burk said it doesn’t add any pressure on his team.
“Regardless of how many people are in the stands and what the occasion is, there’s 11 guys out there at any given time and all 11 have to do their job in order to make it successful,” Burk said. “I don’t think we feel any extra pressure or anything like that. It’s a game. We’re excited to play and just get an opportunity to be out there.”