Written by: Danny Talbert
The wait is over, jerseys have been hung in the lockers, pants neatly arranged, and the brand-new red helmets have been adorned with fresh decals, the stage is set for the battle for Highway 27. Tomorrow (Sept. 9), the 2023 LaGrange College football team kicks off the season at 6 p.m. in Callaway Stadium, facing off against Berry College.
This is not only the first game of the year but the first one under the direction of Head Coach Wes Dodson and new staff. Since joining the Panther family back in February 2023, Coach Dodson has worked tirelessly to build up to this moment. In regards to the game being only one day away, Dodson said, "It's great that we are finally going to play a game after what feels like months of going against each other."
Since arriving in mid-August for fall camp, the players have also been counting down the days to play against someone who is not their teammate. Coach Dodson described these feelings as, "It should be exciting for our team to go against a different team, different color and to actually not have to yell at them about hitting and tackling people. We have been trying to keep everyone healthy and on their feet, so now we get to have live bullets and get after people. It should be an exciting time for us." As he described, while preparing for an upcoming football game, it can be hard for players to slow up while hitting because it is such a fast and physical sport. Coach Dodson and staff have made countless preparations in order to train the team while keeping them healthy for the upcoming game.
In regards to how the team met expectations during fall camp, he said, "We have done a great job of doing things the right way. I would say we have exceeded expectations as far as the guys ability to do things up front. We had a lot of question marks on the offensive line and the offensive line has a lot of good players, but they are just young guys that are going to make a few mistakes here or there, but they have been solid in everything they have been doing." The Panther offensive line group is very young this year. With the turnover in the trenches during the past offseason, the front five is now made up of three freshmen and two sophomores. Luckily for the Panthers, Coach Dodson found a proven offensive line coach to take on the challenge of leading this young position group, Chuck Ehret.
Ehret most recently coached for Manchester University, a NCAA Division III institution in Northern Indiana. In 2022, he coached linemen Conner Hindman and Austin Ellis who received Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference all-conference honors, which helped their running back David Smith also receive all-conference honors. The offensive line not only excelled in the run game but also finished tied for 30th in the nation in sacks allowed, only averaging one per game. This challenge will be a whole new animal, but Coach Ehret is enthusiastic about taking the bull by its horns.
The first game of the year is tomorrow (Sept. 9) at 6 p.m. in Callaway Stadium, against Berry College. The theme is white-out, so wear your white LaGrange College gear! It is also LaGrange Community Youth Night, so there will be fun events to do with the whole family. Kids under 12 get into the games for free. Come out and support the LaGrange College Panthers!
