HSFT Stop #2: Vardaman

Vardaman head football coach Brennan Pugh is entering his sixth year coaching the Rams. While he has grown as a coach, this class of seniors grew with him.

“This senior class is a special group just in general but for me as well,” Pugh said. “In my first year as an assistant coach they were seventh graders, my first year as head coach they were eighth graders. I’m excited to see what they can do in their final season.”

All 11 seniors know that there are high expectations but they are embracing the challenge.

“We are going to expect a lot from us because we got to do better than we did last year and I think we will,” senior linebacker Rivers Bailey said.

Each player has a tight-knit relationship on and off the field.

“We’ve been together for a while,” senior left tackle Antoni Rojo said. “We know each other, we can pick each other up when we’re down, we just all have leadership.”

The road hasn’t always been easy for the senior class but year after year they kept battling and are ready to show everyone what they’re made of one last time.

“Our freshman year we didn’t win many games,” senior center Chandler Easley said. “A lot of us underclassman didn’t get a lot of playing time but we put the work in and worked our way up to starting positions over the last year and I feel like we’ve grown a lot.”

“We’re going to expect a lot from us because we got to do better than we did last year but I think we will,” Bailey said.

The path to the 1a state title has changed due to reclassification. Every 1A school in the north half will make the playoffs, but there is still a lot to play for in the regular season.

“You really want to be a one or a two seed now, our goal is to win a division this year and make a deep run in the playoffs this year,” Pugh said. “The kids know that and the kids believe in that.”

Emotions will run high all season long for this team that means so much to each other.

“Each senior class it’s tough to lose them but this one being such a big group and being the guys I came to Vardaman with,” Pugh said. “Losing them will definitely not be fun to lose them but I’m thankful I have them this season.”