HSFT22 Stop #18 — Pickens County Tornadoes

REFORM, Al. — The Pickens County Tornadoes were just one game away from playing in the state championship. But they fell to Wadley, 41-36.

“It was a rough one,” head coach Michael Williams said. “WE felt like we didn’t put our best effort out there on the field.”

The part that made it even worse was that the loss came at home.

“That’s a big loss to lose on our own field when we could’ve gone to the championship, so that put a lot of dedication into wanting to go out and win this season,” junior running back Korbit Sommerville said.

But Williams isn’t concerned with what happened last year. His focus is on the future.

“We’re trying to move forward and we’re coming into next year with a brand new team and trying to make that same kind of push,” he said.

They’ve got a few holes to fill including the spots of quarterback Javion Belle and wide receiver Jacoris Barnes.

Williams will have to break in a new quarterback for the first time in three years. He said they don’t have a QB1 just yet, but they’ll be ready by August.

One change Williams has made this offseason is adding more practice time. His squad is practicing four days a week for four hours.

“We practice longer so we’ll have a better season this year,” Sommerville said. “We’ve got to push harder in practice every day and go the extra mile so we can get that championship ring that we’ve always wanted.”

The Tornadoes open up their season Aug. 19 with a matchup against Aliceville.