TROUP, Texas (KETK) – Despite starting the season 3-0 and being one of the top teams in 3A-D2, the Troup Tigers aren’t letting their success get to their heads.
“We’ve got a long way to go still and our kids know that and so our goal is just to keep improving every day and every week,” Troup head football coach Sam Wells said.
“You don’t really listen to it cuz you know that like you’re gonna have a gauntlet of a season. You have a long time to go. December’s a long ways away and we’re not worried about that right now. We’re worried about this week and we’re playing a good team this week so we gotta be ready for that,” Troup running back, outside linebacker and strong safety Brett Wells said.
These Tigers are talented but also experienced, and look primed to have a big season.
“The majority of our starters have been starters since they were sophomores and so obviously they’ve got a lot of experience and so we knew that coming into this season we’d have most of those kids back again and so we felt good about what the result could be,” Sam Wells said.
One of those senior leaders is receiver and free safety James Pierce, who like many of his teammates, is motivated after last year’s regional semifinal loss to Newton which ended the Tigers’ perfect season.
“1-0 every day. Whether that means like 1-0 in practice, 1-0 in a rep and then whenever it gets to gameday you wanna be 1-0 of the day. You wanna be the man on top at the end of the game. If we keep that mentality throughout the week I think we’ll, I think we’ll be in the state game this year,” Pierce said.
Senior offensive and defensive lineman AJ Dewberry said the Tigers’ game plan is simple.
“Defense just having discipline and doing your techniques and stuff, and then offense just giving it to our playmakers and letting them do it and our offensive line blocking,” Dewberry said.
Speaking of playmakers, the Tigers have one of Texas’ best in senior signal caller Trevor Golightly.
The Edgewood transfer loves his new set of offensive weapons at Troup.
“I can just, even if it’s like a decently bad throw they can just go out there and get it for me. They make me look good,” Golightly said.
The Tigers have looked really good through three games and aren’t showing signs of slowing down any time soon.
“I feel like a big thing is teamwork and like we all got each other’s backs, like everybody, and like I feel like if you got brothers behind you pushing you to do better then you’ll strive and do better things than what your mindset is set to,” Golightly said.
Troup will host fellow unbeaten Rusk in our Week 4 Friday Football Fever Spotlight Game.
Kickoff between the Tigers and Eagles is set for Friday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. from Tiger Stadium in Troup.
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