The DeKalb Middle School Saints Football team has been hard at work over the past few weeks, getting ready for their new season. The team has been battling the heat and humidity as they preparing for their opening game this Thursday night.

Head Coach Justin Potete told the Smithville Review that his team is looking good this season and has the potential to go far. “We look to be pretty good,” Coach Potete said. “Definitely our numbers are up for the past few years, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into success. Effort has got to be there for sure.”

With many veteran players moving on to high school last year, the Saints have some new blood this season, but Coach Poteete said there are some very athletic players on the field. “We’ve got a lot of new faces, so there’s a lot of teaching this year, but I can say for the most part, the athletes for the county are out here. Our numbers are good and the physicality has been okay. They’re just out here, working hard, each and every day.”

Last season the Saints faced some teams that seemed nearly twice their size, something that can be sometimes expected in that age group of players. This year, Coach Poteete said the team has some muscle, but that it doesn’t always boil down to weight. “Size wise we look to be pretty good. We’ve got to be physical. Last year, we played a lot of big teams that were pretty soft, and a lot of small teams that were pretty physical. That’s going to be the determining factor of this team.”

Coach Poteete said that playing physical is the key to playing big teams. “We’ll have a little bit of speed, but not very much, but if we come out and pop people in the mouth, we’ll be alright. If we don’t, then we won’t.”

With Jordan Parker moving on to the Tigers, the Saints looked to find a new player to lead the team at quarterback. This season, the Saints will be looking to Jon Hendrix to fill that position. Coach Poteete said that Hendrix has a good arm, but is looking for other players to step up in the receiver positions.

“Our quarterback is a new player this year, Jon Hendrix, and hasn’t played in a few years,” Poteete explained. “He’s a decent sized kid with a very good arm. He’s still learning the offense a little bit, kind of learning the ins and outs of what we expect in football, but he’s out here every day busting his tail. He’s got a very good attitude, so look for some big things from him carrying the ball and throwing the ball. We’ve got to have some guys that can stand up and catch the ball though.”

The DMS Saints start their season Thursday night, playing at home against Livingston at 6:30 p.m.