Only two players return from last year’s 3-6 team for Flint.
FLINT, MI — The second year for Flint’s only high school football team is going to be all about learning.
Last season marked the inaugural campaign for the consolidated athletic teams in Flint and the football team finished with a 3-6 record. That might seem like something to build on except for one thing.
Only two players return this season.
On top of that, the Jaguars have a new coach in Andre Weathers, the former Flint Central All-State defensive back who helped Michigan win the 1997 national championship.
So, while Weathers is teaching his players about the new schemes and formations they’ll be employing, he’ll also be learning about the players that will suit up for Flint.
“We’ve been moving along,” said Weathers, who spent the past three years coaching at Bentley. “Everything is new to them so they have to understand us and we have to understand them. It’s going to be brand new.
“It’s all about teaching the game and getting them to understand why they’re doing what they’re doing and a lot of times if they understand that part, they can learn it on the fly. It’s going to be a lot about teaching.
“It’s not about how much you do, it’s about how much you execute what you do. It’s just about getting them good at what we want them to get good at.”
Despite being able to draw from all over the city, Weathers expects to only have about 30 players in the program. That’s from the freshman level on up.
The only players back from last year’s team are senior Zameer Wallace and junior Malique Forward.
Wallace will play quarterback and safety while Forward will be a running back and linebacker.
“We’re all young and eager to play,” Forward said.
Wallace predicted this season would be “a learning experience.”
What could make this season even more trying for Weathers & Co. is Flint will be playing in the rugged Saginaw Valley.
The Jaguars’ league opponents will include Carman-Ainsworth, Davison, Grand Blanc and Powers Catholic, which traditionally field strong teams. Powers was the last Flint-area team to win a state championship and the other three are among the largest schools in Genesee County in terms of enrollment.
Being new to Valley makes it difficult for Weathers to assess the competition and determine which teams will be the strongest this season.
“I’m just coming into the league so I do not know,” he said. “There’s a lot of good teams in the league.”
The Jaguars will help kick off the new season during the first game on the Flint-area schedule when they face Beecher at 1 p.m. Thursday at Atwood Stadium. That’s the opener of the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic’s second annual triple header.
