H.S. FOOTBALL: Resilient War Eagles handle preseason

ATWOOD – The football team at West Carroll High School has a different mindset than most football teams right now.

“They’re coming out of a tragedy, and they’re a tighter group because of it,” said first-year West Carroll head coach Josh Wolfe. “They’re showing resiliency and showing a sense of togetherness not many teams will have because not many teams have been through what they’ve been through.”

The War Eagles lost one of their own when junior lineman Blake Ray was killed in a car wreck minutes after leaving practice that morning.

“We end every practice and team meeting by breaking it down on ‘Family,’ and I think that really applies to this team,” Wolfe said.

When the War Eagles make it to the season with their first game against Carroll County rival Bruceton, he said he thinks the loss of Ray will have an effect on the team as well.

“I’m not saying we’re about to go 10-0 or anything like that,” Wolfe said. “But they’ll go out and play their hearts out and dedicate every game to their brother.

“And I think they got a chance to see how much this community and the people in the area care about them, and that makes them want to play a little harder for all the fans.”

The War Eagles are dealing with other issues like the heat and trying to build as much depth as they can with a roster of 43 players including freshmen.

“The heat is something everybody in this area has to deal with, and depth is something nearly every 1A team has to deal with to,” Wolfe said. “It’s part of it, and we’ll be OK.

“Right now the emphasis is on conditioning, and we’re trying to do that when we can get out there.”

Brandon Shields, 425-9751