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September 2, 2009

PREP FOOTBALL: Youngblood, Cold Springs welcome four more players back to squad; roster now stands at 29

By Michael A. Cummings

COLD SPRINGS — In between drills during practice Wednesday afternoon, Cold Springs High football coach Tommy Youngblood spelled it out for his team. Plain, simple and with one condition.

“You’re either with us or you’re not,” he said.

As of Monday, the Eagles have four more players that are definitely with them. After watching the team stay competitive during Friday night’s game against Carbon Hill, seniors Kiah Crider, Nick Blanks, Dillon Cordes and Daniel Gowins decided to join the team.

Their arrival brought Cold Springs’ roster to 29 players, well above the 13 athletes that started fall practice. Before the additions could be finalized, the quartet of seniors had to deal with that one little condition.

Since they missed the cutoff date for players to start practicing with the team — the last chance was the previous Wednesday — all four had to pay the price. And their teammates were the ones who decided what it was.

“For them to come out after the season began, I left it up to the kids,” said Youngblood, who rejoined the team for his third stint as head coach during the first week of fall practice. “They voted unanimously to let them come back — but I also let them decide the punishment.”

The punishment they settled on was something called the worm — a drill in which the players had to slither like a slinky down the field with their hands held behind their backs — along with 200 runs up and down a hill just behind Cold Springs’ stadium.

The sentence was inspired by stories some of the players had heard from Youngblood’s previous go-round on the mountain.

“They’d heard from some of the past kids I’ve had about the worm, and so they said, ‘You’ve got to do the worm,’” said Youngblood. “… But they’ve paid their dues now, and they’re with us.”

That sentiment is the same among the players, despite the fact that the quartet of newbies weren’t around during the heat of August.

But that’s not to say it wouldn’t have been nice to have them around the whole time.

“We wish they were here before, but we’re glad they’re coming out now,” said senior running back Michael Johnson, who rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries last Friday against Carbon Hill. “We all appreciate their hard work and dedication for coming out here.”

The excitement created by the arrival of four new players is the latest example of the enthusiasm brought to the program with Youngblood’s arrival. Though the Eagles finished with a 1-9 record last year, there’s plenty of excitement around the team when they talk about the current season.

And that’s even with Lamar County and Sulligent — which made the Super 6 last season — up next on the schedule.

“Last year, everybody kind of dragged around. We had good days and bad days,” said Johnson. “But this year it seems like everybody wants to be here. Everybody is learning the plays really well.”

One of the newbies agreed.

“There’s twice the excitement of last year,” said Crider, who played the full schedule in 2008. “I guess that’s because of the way we competed in the first game. We know we can compete with a lot of the teams on the schedule.”

Though he was pleasantly surprised when the four seniors decided to return, Youngblood wasn’t shocked to hear that the team took them back.

That’s because of the character of the players — both old and new.

“They’re good people, more than just good players,” said Youngblood. “And I think that’s why the players voted the way they did.”

Cold Springs and Lamar County kick off at 7 p.m. Friday in Vernon.

Michael Cummings can be reached by email at michaelc@cullmantimes.com or by phone at 734-2131, ext. 258.

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