Local high school football coaches, talk new season

JONES COUNTY, Miss. - The Laurel Kiwanis Club invited various Jones County area high school football coaches to the Laurel Country Club Wednesday to talk about the pre-season.

Northeast Jones head coach, Keith Braddock said, "It's still a ways away. I'd like to play and I think they'll like to play tomorrow. But truth be known, there's a lot of work to be done, and it's a process."

Laurel head coach, Todd Bretand said, "The game is faster, so we try to coach them faster. We put them through drills, put them through the weight room at a high pace to try and to keep that pace going Friday night. You can practice it, but the only way to get it down 100 percent is to put them in a game situation."

West Jones didn't have the season they had hoped for last year, but now it's a new season and they have a new attitude.

West Jones head coach, Scott Pierson said, "I think the best part is everybody is undefeated. It's easy to push and it's exciting to get your kids back and it's an opportunity to prove how much better you got from the year before."

South Jones had a good season and they're trying to have another, despite losing a couple of key players.

South Jones head coach, Cody Reynolds said, "Last year we had a really good running back and a really good defensive back, two All-State players. And this year, we just have to find ways to get better."

All of these coaches are friends, but when it's game time, the relationships can be a bit different.

"If you brought a checkerboard out now, we would stay here and compete. We are great competitors, but off the field, we're just as good as friends as you can be with anybody. And I got a lot of respect and admiration for all of them," said Bretand.