Countdown to Kickoff (Edition 31): Coal Grove aim for consistent wins in 2024

COAL GROVE, Ohio (WCHS) — High school football has arrived in Ohio as teams begins this weekend, and a year ago Coal Grove started strong but then the season went in a different direction.

The Hornets are out to change that this year.

"This is a special group of kids,” head coach Jay Lucas said. “We've come a long way, kids have put in a lot of work. I'm anxious to see what they do once we get under the Friday night lights. But they've had a great camp, they've worked hard, they've pushed themselves and we feel good about where we are."

Coal Grove is coming off a 4-7 season. They started 2023 4-1 and this year, not only do the Hornets want another fast start, they want to finish strong as well.

"I think that this group saw last year we didn't feel like what we did the things that we wanted to do,” Lucas said. “I think in the off-season they had a little bit more drive, a little bit more motivation to get in there and go to work and that carried us through camp."

“They all came out of it with a chip on their shoulder,” Joey Scarberry, senior linebacker and tight end, said. “They just wanted to work to get better. They've just been working their hind ends off to try to be the best we possibly can be.”

The head coach said he has seen positive things from his squad leading up to the 2024 season.

“They really pushed themselves, went through and really battled on both sides of the football. So, you know, we're cautiously optimistic about where things are going." Lucas said.

Coal Grove has only four seniors, two are at the skill position and the other two are offensive linemen and two of those four seniors have been three-year starters. The Hornets are junior and sophomore heavy and the team's cohesiveness will be a strength.

"This is a close-knit group, you know, those juniors have played together their entire life,” Lucas said. “They've, you know, they've all played together and then this senior group mixed in with them has been great leaders. So when we combine the two groups, they're a pretty special group to work with."

Scarberry, one of those four seniors, said he hopes this season is a memorable one.

"It's my last year. It's time to go work and win me a state championship," Scarberry said.

As Coal Grove continues to practice in August, Lucas has been pleasantly surprised by the balance he sees with his team.

"We don't have to rely on just one or two guys to go out and be competitive and win games,” Lucas said. “We've got, I feel like we've got a good group of linemen up front, we've got a good stable of back, we've got some depth that's there. That's probably been my biggest surprise is the fact that we've got some younger guys that are able to step up and step into more important roles than they're able to go out.I feel like I can play on Friday nights and do a good job for us."