Football season is on its way and the DeKalb County High School Football Tigers are gearing up for another exciting season. The team held Media Day last Monday morning, with the local media coming out to get some photos of the team, and talk with some of the coaches and players.

One of the big glaringly absent sites while on the field was the vacant area where the new stands are supposed to be erected. The old stadium seats were dismantled earlier this spring, with the new seats expected to arrive over three weeks ago. In talking with Head Tiger Football Coach Steve Trapp, he said he is hopeful the stands will arrive soon and be in place before the team’s first home game.

“All I can say is that we’ve done all we can do to control to make sure everything is on time,” Coach Trapp explained. “It’s all on the bleacher company now. It’s been pushed back a week or two from what they had originally told us, but we have confidence that everything will be good to go, especially by our first home game [August 25].”

As for the team, Coach Trapp said the Tigers have put in some hard work and are continuing to hone their skills for the upcoming season. “We’ve had a good June, prior to our dead period. We came back here afterwards and we spent three days at Tennessee Tech at the FCA 7 on 7 Linemen Camp. We had a really good week there. A lot of work got put in,” Trapp said.

“We came back the end of that week and had our youth camp, and this past week we started our fall camp. We did a couple of days in helmets, then three days in helmets and shoulder pads. We had our sleepover camp last Friday night and our day camp on Saturday,” Trapp continued.

“Today [Monday, July 24] is our first full day in pads. We have a scrimmage coming up on July 28, at York Institute, at 6 p.m., then we’ll have two more scrimmages, this time at home on Friday, August 4, against Friendship Christian, then Tuesday, August 8, against Providence Christian. The Friday after that will be our Jamboree at Smith County High School, playing Clay County. After that, it’s on.”

When asked how the team is looking, Trapp started with the quarterback position, saying the team is in good hands. Briz Trapp will be returning this year as quarterback, after being sidelined late last season due to injury. “He’s healthy and wanting to stay healthy,” Trapp said.

“We also still have J.P. [Jordan Parker] so we’re in a good situation there. J.P. is getting a lot of reps as receiver, so he’ll be out there a lot. He’s a very coachable and competitive kid, and he’s embracing that role and doing a very good job and giving us depth in the secondary.”

“Briz has been good since the end of February and he’s been able to get stronger since then. He’s had a good spring and summer with all these 7 on 7s and a lot of good skilled guys around him. His main thing is to make sure he distributes the ball the way it needs to be, and I feel like we’ll have a good shot at being an elite offensive football team,” Trapp explained.

As for weaknesses, Coach Trapp said he is looking at the kicking game. “Right now we’re trying to develop some of these guys to possibly kick the football. They are working at it, coming in early and staying a bit extra.”

Trapp said that he’s reached out to some of the school’s soccer players, with no one stepping forward as of yet. “At the end of the day, we’ll do the best that we can. If we have to go for two every time, we’ll do it. But, we have a couple of guys working really hard. If we can be consistent at making extra points, we’ll work from there. Our punt game, we have a couple of situations we’re working on there. We’re going to keep working and keep developing.”

With Colby Barnes moving on to the college level, there will be some big shoes to fill at the running back position. “We’ve moved Malachi Trapp from wide receiver to the backfield,” said Coach Trapp. “He’s just a dynamic athlete. He needs to touch the ball more than three or four times a game. By putting him at running back we’re able to put it in his belly and watch him go. We’ll still be able to put him out there and let him play wide receiver. Depending on the formations, we can put him where we need to. He’s one of those guys that can make cuts without slowing down.”

“Briz can run the ball too, so we’ve got a one-two punch back there. Ari (White) has always been our number two back, and he still is, but he’s also playing tight end. We’ve got some things we can do with him too.”

“We’ve got a lot of toys that we’re able to play with,” Trapp continued. “Their job and responsibility is to understand what we’re doing so we can tweak it the way that we need to.”

As with every year, there will be some new faces at key positions. This season the O-line was a focus for the Tigers. “We had to replace three offensive linemen this season,” Trapp said. “It’s not our biggest concern, but it’s an area where there’s some new guys, with a couple of sophomores, Aiden Turner and Bryson Arnold, as well as a four-year senior, Aaron Hatfield, that’s in there. Wil Farris has been a four-year senior on both sides and Chris Pulley this will be his second year starting. I feel good about that group, but they have to continue to get better as the season goes on.”

“Defensively we’ve looked really good,” Trapp continued. “As far as defending the pass in the spring, we looked really good. In the spring we talked about being fast and physical. We felt that that was what we were.”

“Our defense will be led by Ari White, a four-year senior that will play middle linebacker. Ty Webb will be in the secondary, started as a freshman. This will be his third year starting. He keeps our back end in line. It will be Trace Hamilton’s second year as a corner, and Colin Dickens is in there at corner. Austin Nicholson and Jordan Parker provide depth at safety, and Briz [Trapp] is a backup at safety.”

“Our line backing crew has some new faces,” Trapp said. “Bryson Trapp is playing that position, then Marquez Chalfant and Malachi Trapp are playing on the edges. There’s a lot of speed and athleticism there. I’m really excited about what they have the potential to do.”

The region itself will have some changes this season, with some longtime rivals moving on and new teams added to the schedule.

“The region is still the same, but we do have Sparta [White County],” Trapp said. “White County and Gordonsville are the two new teams that are on our schedule. We’re no longer playing Cannon County or Goodpasture. Everyone else is the same. We moved around a little because we change our schedule every two and four years.”

“Our region is tough. As far as DeKalb County Football, this will be one of the most challenging years to get into the playoffs. There were years when we just had to win one game and get in. We were fortunate enough to do that, but now we are going to have to win at least three region games to get into the playoffs. There will be some good football teams not playing that first week in November. We want to make sure that is not us.”

Coach Trapp and his staff have worked hard on this year’s team, as well as the stadium itself. With the new seating, the field also features new lighting, an expanded press box, as well as the new scoreboard that was installed previously. Coach Trapp said that he wants to thank the community for all their help in making DCHS Football better than ever.

“I want to give a big thank you. All the things we’re doing out here, we couldn’t do it without the support of this town, and the community. That’s where it all starts. We want to have a servant attitude where we impact everyone that comes to a game. The upgrades and everything that we do, some people may have the wrong impression on why we’re doing it. At the end of the day, we’re doing it to impact the community of DeKalb County. I want them to understand that when they walk into the gate that they are part owners in this and I want them to have as much pride in it as we do. We couldn’t have it without them. We are grateful, not just thankful, but totally grateful.”