Red Raiders, Yellow Jackets prepare for upcoming season
· Yahoo Sports
AUGUSTA, GA (WJBF)- The high school football preseason is in full swing, as teams are now holding scrimmages and jamborees to get ready for the upcoming season. Three local teams scrimmaged at Lower Richland High School.
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That included the defending state champions Bamberg-Ehrhardt Red Raiders. They capped off a historic 15-0 season, beating out Lamar 35-21 to win their first state championship since 1990. The team returns 18 starters, including quarterback Brian McMillan who’s back for his senior season, but coach says this year’s squad has to make their own legacy.
“We don’t really talk about the state championship last year. We just talk about what we need to do right now. How do we get better every day? Like today, we got some good competition,” said head coach Corey Crosby.
“We’re just trying to get better. We just want to stack days. But we don’t talk about that, man. This team got to make their own, They own legacy, find they own place. Until what we need to be. But, But we just keep stacking days, man.”
They open up on the road against the Hunter-Kinard-Tyler Trojans.
One team looking to get back to the postseason is the North Augusta Yellow Jackets. They’re coming off of an 11-2 campaign, including a quarterfinals appearance against South Florence.
While they lost players like running back Mike Doe, they do return their quarterback Collin Tillman who’s taking full control of the offense this season. The senior passed for 1,000 yards last season with 15 touchdowns. The team is ready to continue that winning standard, with new and returning players.
“I expect every day that they know what our standard is. They bring that to the table, they’re great leaders in the way that they act, in the way they carry themselves, and the way that they practice, but at the same time, they’re not afraid to hold each other accountable,” said head coach Richard Bush.
“They knew that their time is up, and they’ve been showing that they’re ready to go. The new guys, they’re acting like veterans and that they’ve been here before. We got a lot of new people and new pieces, great team still, a lot of people showing that they’re ready to be here,” Tillman said.
They kick off the season against their rival Strom Thurmond. The Football Friday Night preview show airs this Friday at 11:35 p.m.
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