Redskins working hard to bounce back

COSHOCTON – Coshocton’s plan to bounce back from a 2-8 season can be summed up in two words – hard work.

“Football isn’t an easy game,” said Jim Woodrum who is in his ninth year as head coach. “You have to have great work ethic and prepare every day for who is up next. These guys have been around winning teams. The seniors were freshmen when we went to the final four. It’s easier to get to the top than to stay there. I tell the guys we are circled on everyone’s schedule. They have to be ready to strap up every single game and put in hard work in the off season and in the weight room.”

So far he’s happy with what he’s seen from the 2019 team.

“We’ve had a great summer,” Woodrum said. “Most of these kids have been here all the time. We had a lot of young guys on the field last year, but they’ve grown up. We have sophomores and juniors who are ready to step up and have a good year.”

The seniors will bring leadership to the team.

“We’ve discussed this over and over and they are doing a pretty good job overall,” Woodrum said. “We started working on them as juniors so they anticipate this role.”

As a team though they have to continue to improve defensively and handle their lack of depth.

“We have a couple of injuries hurting us right now and still really have a lot of youth,” Woodrum said. “They are doing a good job though and we had a good camp.”

The Redskins kick off their season on Friday, Aug. 30 at home against Indian Valley. New opponents for the season include Linsly and Crooksville.

“We set daily, weekly and seasonal goals,” Woodrum said. “The daily goals are things like going to school, being there on time and acting the way you are supposed to in the hallways and classrooms. They need to meet these expectations. They may not realize it but they are being watched and kids are going to act how they do.”

Some of the seasonal goals are winning the ECOL and being county champs by beating both Ridgewood and River View this year.

Senior Garrett Rice, who plays wide receiver and cornerback, is looking forward to those games and helping the team develop.

“I’ve been playing football ever since I could,” he said. “This is another year to help the team get better and help the younger kids develop for years to come.”

Like Rice, fellow senior Hayden Shook has played football since he was in elementary school.

“I started playing in fifth grade,” said Shook who plays linebacker and guard. “There is a certain love for the game you grow up with and it’s ingrained in your mind.”

Like Woodrum, Shook believes hard work this off season will pay off for the Redskins.

“We had really good two-a-days and conditioning so far this year and I think we are off to a good start,” Shook said.

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