2022 FFN Preseason Tour: Cross County

CHERRY VALLEY, Ark. (KAIT) - Cross County won just one game in 2021, but the bright side for head coach Cody Goulart was that the team was able to start multiple freshmen and sophomores on both sides of the football.

“We’ve got so much experience coming back that we’ve really been able to build off of that,” Goulart said. “We’ve been able to bring in some kids that didn’t play football last year that were playing just basketball and doing other stuff that have come out, that came out to us in January and been going through the whole offseason with us since January. So we’re very excited about what we’ve brought, and what we have with us every day.”

“Last year we were very young, this year there’s a lot of maturity that’s been gained,” senior lineman Grant McCommon said. “I think we’ll be able to use that to our advantage as guys know the playbook and are ready to take that next step.”

The Thunderbirds are installing turf on their field and the project is expected to be ready by the start of the season. That’s not the only thing that’s new about the T-Birds. They’re also switching offenses. They’ll run the flexbone.

“This is like our first time ever running this type of offense,” senior lineman Adarius Richardson said. “It will very much help.”

Tommie Hare (Hare) (Sr. WR/DB): “We got a lot of skilled players, so it’s like, you kind of got to work for your spot over there,” senior wide receiver and defensive back Tommie Hare added. “So you got to be tough to play. We got new coaches, so we’re going to have to learn them and they have to learn us at the same time.”

Cross County opens their season at home on August 26 against Harrisburg.

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