Published: August 20, 2008 10:46 am      

Rolison anxious to see Whippets in action

First-year Kosciusko head football coach Trey Rolison has been around the game long enough to know that you never really know what kind of team you have until the lights are turned on for real on a Friday night.

He will get his first chance to get a peek at the 2008 Whippets in game-type conditions on Friday when Kosy travels north to Winona to take part in a jamboree against two other high schools.

“The way the kids have been practicing I think they are ready, but we’ll see Friday night,” Rolison said. “That will tell us a lot about where we are.”

Kosciusko is joining Grenada, Winona and Velma Jackson in the four-team jamboree that is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. in Winona. Each “game” will consist of a half of football. The action opens with Grenada playing Velma Jackson, followed Winona facing Grenada.

Kosy opens with Velma Jackson and closes the night by facing host Winona.

“It may be 8 or 8:30 before we hit the field,” Rolison said. “So, it’s going to be a late night.”

Rolison and the Whippets are trying to get ready for their Aug. 29 season opener at Northwest Rankin.

“I’ll just be glad when a regular game week gets here and we can get in a set routine,” he said. “We’ve had to make a lot of changes due to a lot of reasons. We’ve also had to prepare for two teams this week instead of one, which is a lot more difficult.

“We’ve had to a lot of improvising,” he said. “Shoot, it’s tough on me, so I know it’s tough on the kids.”

While both Winona and Velma Jackson are Class 3A schools, they also have successful football programs. The Tigers of Winona were 8-3 in Region 2-3A last year, while going 5-1 in league play. That only region loss was to Louisville.

The Falcons of Velma Jackson were undefeated in Region 4-3A play and finished the year at 7-4. “Velma Jackson does about everything on defense, so it’s a lot to prepare for,” Rolison said.

Rolison said he is hoping for a big crowd to make the trip to Winona, although it is only a jamboree and doesn’t count in the standings.

“I’ve heard a lot about the support here and I’m looking forward to seeing it,” he said. “It’s very important to our players for them to see that the people are behind them.”