Grind to Glory: New Albany’s Bulldogs are aiming to capitalize on last season’s momentum going into the fall.
NEW ALBANY, Miss. (WTVA) – The New Albany Bulldogs are coming off an 8-and-3, 3-and-1 season.
They were kicked off the playoffs by Big Louisville, who ended up taking home the title. New Albany is hoping to capitalize on that momentum this fall.
“That’s one of the best seasons we’ve had in a long time,” said Jeb Bolen, the Bulldogs's Wide Receiver. “So it just felt a little good, and I think it makes this season even better, because, you know, now the goal is not to just make it to the playoffs, but it's now to get to that state championship mark and ultimately win one.”
One of the keys to a strong football program is balance when it comes to new bloods versus the veterans.
That’s one of the Bulldogs’ strengths this season, according to Head Coach Cody Stubblefield.
“You've got to have a little bit of everything, you know,” Stubblefield said. “You got to have that older leadership. Those guys that have been there that work hard to pull those young guys along, you know. But you got to sprinkle in some young guys because you're going to lose those little guys.”
How does this team shrink its weaknesses? Stubblefield said it is about mentality.
“We talk a lot about blue-collar mindset,” he said. “You know, working with their hands. You know, guys that just get after it every day, and aren't prima donnas or whatever. They just, they come to work and they drive us to get better day in and day out. You know, if you're coming up here and you're not getting better, you're wasting your time, our time. So that blue-collar mindset is something we're focusing on a lot this summer.”
A lot of that work comes in the weight room.
“We know we have to get bigger, we know we got to get stronger, and we know we got to get faster,” Bolen said. “So we're in there three days a week, you know, busting our tails, and then we're going outside doing sprint training.”
He adds that he used to want the practice to end, but now that his senior year is here, he never wants it to stop.
New Albany's first official opponent is the Saltillo on August 30.
