Cougars: Graves excited for season
Copper Basin’s Cougars played three strong quarters of football when they hosted the Tigers from Rosman, North Carolina, in scrimmage action Friday night.
First year head coach Brett Graves was upbeat as he looked back on the game Sunday. “The kids are having fun, that’s the biggest thing,” he said as he looked down the road at the 2024 season.
Graves knows coaches are often graded entirely on their win-loss record, but his philosophy centers around “you want to see the kids develop.” And that’s what’s happening at Copper Basin.
“The kids were excited, cheering each other on. The next step is to get that same energy in practice and then we’re going to have a great season,” Graves said.
Development is the key as a lot of changes have taken place in Copper Basin football in the few short weeks Graves has been at the helm.
New offensive and defensive schemes are in place. The Cougars are “playing positions they’re not used to playing,” Graves said. With only a week to a week and a half to learn those positions, the young team has faced a difficult task.
A couple of times in the Friday scrimmage, Graves said players resulted to previous instincts, opening opportunity for the visitors.
But those were overshadowed by positives.
The Cougars put the first points on the board on a long run by Talon Smith midway through the first quarter.
And then the second Cougar score came after Basin recovered a fumble. Smith caught a 3-yard pass from Drew Crowder.
for another six and Basin was up 12-0. Those scores reflected the Cougars in the first three quarters.
The fourth quarter belonged to Rosman.
Graves said of the young Cougar squad after the game, “I’m pleased with them, but we can get better. We’ve got to get to the point we can win in the fourth quarter.” He said the coaching staff has to do a better job of preparing the players mentally and physically.
The next test comes at Hayesville, North Carolina, this Friday night when the Cougars face the powerful Yellow Jackets, a team that has the potential to win the Smoky Mountain Conference this year.
“Hayesville is going to be good,” Graves said of what will be the Cougars final scrimmage. He believes the game will get the Cougars prepared for the regular season opener the following week against cross-county rival Polk County.
“I’m excited for the challenge,” Graves said, standing by another of his beliefs that the way to get better is to play teams better than you are.
On paper, the Cougars enter the gauntlet of their regular season schedule with Polk County, followed by Grace Academy, South Pittsburg, Robbinsville and Chattanooga Prep. But Graves is not a big believer of what’s on paper. “Our heart goes a long way. Finding a way to win is going to be our motto,” Graves said.