Advertisement

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Wildcats looking to the past to build bright future

john stepp, the times-tribune, corbin, ky.
·5 min read

Aug. 19—In his second year as the head coach of the Lynn Camp Wildcats' football program, Coach Mark Huddleston hopes to see the rich tradition of the program shine through, as his players are taking an old philosophy and bringing it back to life.

After going winless a year ago, with four games being forfeited due to COVID-19, Huddleston reflected on his first year as head coach of the Wildcats. It was not the losses that ate at him, though. It was the way in which his kids took the field each Friday night. He just did not think they were living up to the Lynn Camp style of football. and now, he aims to change that.

"In the early 80s, Lynn Camp developed the nickname the 'hit men.' They were known for their physical style of play and that stuck with them for many years," said Huddleston. "Over the past few years, and last year, we have not lived up to that name. We have not been hit men."

After giving it some thought, Huddleston took the message to his team. He told them that Lynn Camp football was going to get back to what led them to success throughout the program's history.

"All it has been is a slogan on a sign outside the stadium. This year, we are embracing it," said Huddleston. "We looked at that and looked at how we can improve, and what we are going to do to become this. It's a slogan that is based on being extremely physical. So we've been pounding the weight room, we are becoming more physical, and we are going to this standard to live by."

Being a physical football team is a great start for Lynn Camp, but they still have plenty of obstacles to face this season and moving forward. At the time of this preview, the Wildcats consistently had 15-17 players showing up for practice.

On the first day of school, Huddleston deployed the entire Lynn Camp staff to help recruit the halls and get more kids out to play football. Lynn Camp had roughly 250 kids in the school to start the year, with about 60 percent of those being female. There aren't many to choose from in the halls, but Huddleston needs as many as he can get.

"We have been pounding the hallways, picking up kids, even on the first day of school. We have to work to increase our numbers. We're one of the smaller Class A schools in that state," said Huddleston. "I feel good about it. We had coaches, teachers, principals, everyone trying to help us get more kids out. But I really feel good about the kids we have right now."

Huddleston said his core group of players consists of the types of kids who he wants on his team. They are dedicated and put the program first. They've been going hard since the beginning of the offseason and they are hungry to put some wins on the board this year.

Returning for the Wildcats on offense will be Payton Wilson and Jason Lowe. Huddleston knows that both kids will be in the backfield this year, and he has had them interchanging between running back and quarterback. They're both versatile kids who can play multiple positions.

Lynn Camp also has a stud of a lineman in Preston Wilson who is back for his senior year. He'll be joined by Jared Kidwell to make up a great one-two punch on the offensive line.

Huddleston said that he likes what he has seen from his offense so far this year.

"We have some kids who can play for us on offense and make plays. We've been shifting things around a little bit to see what is working best for us," said Huddleston. "We're doing some really good things. We're going to be more ground oriented this year. I feel like that is our identity and the identity of this program. We're getting some really good work done."

Defensively, the Wildcats will be led by a group of linebackers in Dakota Ramirez and Josh Lee. A pleasant surprise this summer has been incoming freshman DJ Wren who will be playing at free safety for Lynn Camp.

Huddleston said with the limited numbers on the roster and the amount of players going both ways, it is important that his defense is in great shape so they continue attacking throughout each game.

"Things are coming along on defense for us. It's picking up and we're looking good. It's just hard to get looks because of our numbers," said Huddleston. "We have to buckle down with conditioning. I think our first scrimmage revealed to them the need to work harder in our conditioning periods."

With that said, Huddleston is not allowing his kids to make excuses. He is relying on the tradition of the school to drive home the need for toughness and physicality to them, and prove to them that it can be done.

"In 2003, Lynn Camp went to the state semifinals. They only had 18 kids on the roster," said Huddleston. "I show them that. I take them up and down this hallway outside my classroom and show them the history of Lynn Camp. Coach Larry Parker has been here since 1987 and he shares stories with them. It's no secret we're on a big losing streak. We want that to end, and these kids can be the ones to do that."