Attention fans of Tipton County high school football: It doesn’t get much better than two county high school teams kicking off the season against one another.
Munford will host Covington Friday night in the 2023 season opener and the storylines are endless.
Will Munford maintain its status as the county’s best football team? Will Covington, historically the best program (by far) in the county, get back on top for now? By next Saturday morning. those questions will be answered.
“I feel like it’s going to be a real head-hunting game, a lot of big hits,” said Munford’s Jaelon Dowell. “I feel like we’re going to execute our plan. We’re going to come out and compete and they’re going to come out and compete. Whatever happens, happens.”
Said Munford’s Josh Reeves: “We’ll just let our pads do the talking, honestly.”
Munford broke a four-year losing streak vs. Covington with a win last year. Does that mean anything to the coaches and players? It doesn’t seem like it does in any real way.
Covington coach J.R. Kirby said, in essence, that every season is diffrent. This year’s players are, independenat of last year’s game, just looking to prove themselves against a county rival.
“We’re young in a lot of areas,” Kirby said. “They have good football players. We’re going to play as hard as we can and try to get a win … It it what it is,. They outplayed us last year and took it to us .. Lots of turnovers in last year’s game. We got what we deserved.”
Munford coach Slade Calhoun is fully aware of what his team will be up against Friday night.
“They’ll be good as always, super physical up front on offense and defense. They’ve always had a good running back since the beginning of time. Tremendous coaching staff, very organized. Probably go to semifinals again, at least.”
The interesting thing about this game is that it means a lot to fans and, to a certain extent, players and coaches.
However, when it comes to the postseason, this game means very little. Covington and Munford have lost this game in previous seasons and each gone on to great postseason success.
“It’s a good measuring stick,” Kirby said. “They got dudes over there, a bunch of guys going D-I. We’re going to play as hard as we can and try to get a win.”
Week 1 Previews
What: Munford vs. Covington
Where: Munford
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Players to watch: Munford – QB Jordan Bell, RB Ty Stark,WR Isaiah Cobbs, DB Tyler Williams; Covington – QB Braden Gover, RB Skylan Smith, K/LB Gabe Wellentin, OL Jackson Kirby
One thing to know: Munford beat Covington 28-7 last season, breaking a four-year losing streak to the Chargers. There’s been very little back-and-fourth during this Tipton County rivalry. It will be very interesting to see if Covington can win and break that trend. When one team breaks a streak, said team typically wins a few more in a row.
What: Brighton vs. Henry County
Where: Brighton
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Players to watch: Brighton – QB Caden Crowson, RB Pierce Meachum, DB Hunter Lampley, WR Taylon Carpenter, LB Ethan Hector, OL Will Comer
One thing to know: Starting the season vs. Henry County is very difficult. The Patriots own two state titles and have been to the playoffs every season since 2005. If the Cardinals can be competitive, that’s a sign of success the rest of the season.
What: Tipton-Rosemark vs. Halls High School
Where: Halls
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Players to watch: TRA – DB/WR Aiden Petrowski, RB Nix Fullen, QB Jackson Fullen, WR Dom DeLuco, OL Austin Wilson, OL Hyatt Williams
One thing to know: Halls edged TRA 13-7 last year. If the Rebels can pick up a non-league win here, it should bode well for the rest of the season.
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