Hannah Styles
hstyles@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Last year players and coaches had a very strange, difficult year playing football in the spring instead of the fall. Not to mention practices being postponed for safety measures. Swain County Maroon Devils Head Coach Neil Blakenship and the team are looking to return to normal this fall. The team began practicing back in June and is enthused about the upcoming season.
With the 2020-2021 season from February to April, the players are ready to play a regular amount of games at the usual time. Coach Blankship had taken a leave of absence during last year’s season to be with ill family members and Eric Stephenson took over the season as interim head coach. The team was ranked 28 in the 1A division last year.
Coach Blakenship said he is hopeful for a regular season and is happy to be back.
“I’m looking forward to, hopefully, a normal season and working with the kids again. They make great sacrifices coming to workouts and practices all summer in the heat and they are very dedicated. I think we’re going to have a great season,” he said.
The team has 17 seniors this year with junior Gabe Lillard returning as quarterback, since former quarterback Damian Lossiah graduated last year, along with five other seniors.
The Devils will kick off their season Friday, Aug. 20 with a home game against North Buncombe, followed by an away game against Smoky Mountain Aug. 27.
The community is encouraged to attend the games and show their support for the Maroon Devils!