The coaching staff of the St. James High School football team is hoping that their players have improved their maturity level and their offensive explosiveness as much as it thinks they have.
And they’re also hoping for just a little good health.
The Tigers open the 2010 season on Friday, traveling to Cuba for a non-conference game. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
St. James is trying to regroup after a pair of 1-9 seasons.
And head coach Greg Harlan feels hopeful about the prospects of improved play on both sides of the ball.
“From last year to this year we have expected the kids to perform better, and so far they have,” Harlan said. “But we’ve already got a lot of kids banged up. Over the last couple of years we’ve had to learn to adjust (to injuries). We’re hoping we can do it this year.”
As many as five players expected to start on at least one side of the football could be sidelined for the Cuba opener.
“But I still think we’re pretty happy where we’re at,” Harlan said. “At the (Sullivan Jamboree last Friday) we started off slow, because we’ve been limiting contact in practice, trying to stay healthy. As the night went on we progressively got better. So the coaching staff is fairly happy with where we’re at.”
