With just two weeks to go before the DeKalb Middle School Saints takes to the gridiron, Head Coach Justin Poteete says he has a good core returning players who he believes can help the squad be successful during the 2018 campaign.

“We have five or six returning from last year,” Poteete said as he gets ready to kick off his second year at the Saints’ helm. “We also have a good core group who I believe we will be able to plug and play. We are going to have to rely on some seventh-graders as I’d say we are made up roughly of a 50/50 split of seventh and eighth-grade players.”

Returning at running back this year will be Kolby Barnes who was forced into a leading role last year, giving him good seasoning for a year where Poteete believes the run game will be at the forefront.

“If I had to describe it, I’d say we run a spread offense,” the coach revealed. “We like to mix it up, sometimes run four wide.”

Poteete said the Saints won’t be afraid to throw the ball. “We will be going with Briz Trapp at quarterback,” the coach said. “He throws the ball pretty well so we won’t be afraid to go downfield.”

Andrew Vickers and Josh May, both hybrid players on offense, will also be key returners this season, with the coach expecting a lot from them as the core team will be playing on both sides of the ball.

The coach hopes the Saints can take the next step this season and make it to the playoff for the conference title. Last year the Saints finished third with a 5-3 record in his first year as coach, barely missing the playoffs. The conference takes the top two teams.

The Saints will kick off their season Aug. 9 at Avery Trace. They will host their first home game the next week on Aug. 16 when they entertain Jackson County here.