The SA football team has started their 16th season with Head Football Coach Johnny Nichols, and with each new season comes new faces.

     “It’s nice having a lot of new faces on the football team”, Junior football player Walter Johnson said. “At first, the returning players along with Coach Nichols worked hard on making sure all the new players knew all the plays and knew what to do. Now, a few of the new players are starting on both sides of the ball, and all of them have made huge improvements since this summer.” 

     These new players include Chris Dean, Calvin Dean, Luke Tynes, Joe Cochran, Alex Brown, Jack Sewell, Jordan Simmons, Nico Bufford and Josh Tucker. 

     Alex Brown, a junior this year, believes that the returning players have done a great job of making the new players, including himself, feel comfortable on the team.

     “They have done an exceptional job and expect as much from me as they do people who have been there longer,”Brown said.

     When new things are put into place there are always a few kinks and flaws that need to be corrected.

       “I had to learn football basics”, Senior Jordan Simmons, said. “Although my brothers and dad played football, I didn’t care for it when I was younger. Obviously, there’s a difference between watching football and pretending to understand it and actually having to know the specific rules, routines, and terminology. Also, knowing how to simply catch and throw a football is a beast I’m still fighting.”

     Of all these new faces to the football team, there is one that really catches the eye. Josh Tucker is a senior and has recently transferred to St. Andrew’s from MRA. He has been playing football all his life.

     “Josh Tucker has just transferred from MRA, and I think he will really help the team with his speed and agility.” Johnson said. “Although he is not eligible to play in the first two games, he is definitely very excited to get on the field.”  The football team lost their first game, 26-13, against Richland and won their second game, 27-20, against Newton. Senior Aaron Cooper believes that once the team gets things rolling that they can go pretty far.  

     “Because many of them have never played football before, it can be challenging getting them to understand and learn concepts.” Cooper said. “We are fortunate to have several new players on the team this year. They have not only allowed our team to grow in size, but they have also brought us athleticism as many of them are large and play other sports.”