Gridiron Glory Media Day Recap
By: Nick Henthorn
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Gridiron Glory hosted its fourth annual Media Day on Sunday, bringing players and coaches from 20 teams across Southeast Ohio to Ohio University’s campus where they laid out their aspirations and expectations for the upcoming season.
Players and coaches alike took part in a gauntlet of picture-taking, interview-giving, and lunch-eating throughout the event, which stretched over three hours. Gridiron reporters had a great opportunity to sit down with players and gain insight into their personal goals, offseason improvements, and team expectations.
In the FAC, Miami Trace players spoke about a culture change following a 2-8 season, centered around accountability and focusing on the little things. For Washington Courthouse, the departures of Gio Thomas and Dillon Steward were talked about as the team stressed taking the season one game at a time. And the strong relationship between Jackson Ironmen head coach Andy Hall and senior quarterback Jared Icenhower was apparent when talking to them both. The mentorship Hall provides is greatly appreciated to a quarterback who was recruited by D-I schools like Icenhower is.
Moving into the MVL, it was clear that Crooksville players think they have something to prove following a 2-8 season, but with Kaden Miller returning from a torn ACL and everyone getting a year older, expectations are heightened. Meanwhile, Sheridan may have lost last season’s GG Player of the Year Ethan Heller, but the Generals remain confident in the two quarterbacks who will replace his production.
Looking towards the TVC-Ohio, Athens graduated a quarterback of their own in Clay Davis last year, and talked about adjusting their offense around their new signal caller, Joey Moore. Moore plays a different style than his predecessor, and was called perhaps his team’s fastest player. As for Nelsonville-York, the talk from senior Keegan Wilburn revolved around the improvement of fellow senior Mikey Seel, and how his improvement can elevate the team. Finally, the Alexander Spartans discussed what they needed to do to take the next step after a 4-6 season.
Onto the TVC-Hocking, the resounding takeaway from interviews was how excited everyone is to get back on the field. Rivalries such as Southern and Eastern’s were front and center in the minds of the players as they gear up for the new year.
Three groups of coaches also sat down with host Joseph Hennessy during Media Day, covering a variety of topics in roundtable discussions. New rule implementations, new players filling the shoes of graduates and the struggle of building a consistent program were all discussed by coaches from every conference. Every coach is expecting a good season as optimism prevails in the offseason, and coaches were not shy when it came to talking about rivalry games they had circled on their calendars this year.
To see the complete interviews and discussions, keep checking in on Gridiron’s social media spaces on Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat, and watch Giridon Glory’s season premier this Friday, Aug. 23, at 11:30 p.m.
About Gridiron Glory:
Since 1999, Gridiron Glory has reported on high school football and the athletes, coaches and communities that bring glory to southeastern Ohio every Friday night. Our coverage consists of an award-winning weekly television program, online articles and social media updates.
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Our new season begins Friday, Aug. 23 at 11:30 p.m.