First-year Ethel High School football coach Adam Smith expects marked improvement from the Tigers in 2020, coming off a winless season a year ago.
He is realistic about the task ahead. “There are a lot of teams on our schedule who going to kind of out-athletic us, have a little bit more fire power and big play ability than we do.”
Being new to the area, Smith said he is not very familiar with the teams the Tigers will face, except for what he has seen on film. He has also looked at film of his team.
“I've tried to evaluate our team to see what's going to be our best route to have a little bit of success. I'm just trying to hammer the fundamentals and make sure we do the little things right. Just try to play fundamental football and fundamental people to death.”
A major change by the West Bolivar School District will impact Region 3-1A and thus Ethel's schedule. Shaw elementary and high schools were consolidated into one K-12 school rebranded as McEvans and Ray Brooks was closed, with students transferring to McEvans and West Bolivar. That decreased the number of schools in 3-1A to eighth – Ethel, Coffeeville, Leflore County, McAdams, Shaw, Simmons, West Bolivar and West Tallahatchie.
Ray Brooks spot on Ethel's schedule was replaced by Winona, a strong 3A school. The Tigers are scheduled for a scrimmage with Winona Christian August 14 and a classic game with West Lowndes August 21,
The entire schedule is contingent upon what the Mississippi High School Activities Association decides to do in light of the pandemic. Football might end up in the spring,
The good news is that Ethel was a very young team last year. Ninety-four percent of the rushing yards, 72 percent of the receiving yards and 81 percent of the tackles were by underclassmen.
Smith said Ethel will be run heavy offensively, probably with split backs. Defensively, the Tigers will be heavy in the box. “We're going to put our athletes out in space, let them cover and fill the box.”
Smith was head coach at Byram Middle School last year. Prior to that, he was an assistant at Loyd Star, a 2A school in Lincoln County, for five years, with stints as both offensive and defensive coordinator.
He said Loyd Star is similar to Ethel. “We were a small school and basketball and baseball kind of ruled the school. We had to fight for athletes and the ones we got we had to work really hard to get them ready to play. Being a coordinator on both sides of the ball, I felt before I got to Byram I had the football side of it mapped out pretty well. At Byram, it was a year of logistical training and behind the scenes of what a head coach has to do.”
2020 Schedule
Aug 28 at Central Holmes
Sept 4 Hamilton
Sept 11 McAdams
Sept 18 at West Tallahatchie
Sept 25 at Simmons
Oct 2 Coffeeville
Oct 9 at Winona
Oct 16 at West Bolivar
Oct 23 Noxapater
Oct 30 Leflore County
Nov 6 at McEvans
