Tuscaloosa Academy carries big expectations into second season in AHSAA

High school football practice is underway. Tuscaloosa Academy held its second practice this morning.

The Knights defied outside expectations last season, reaching the third round of the Class 2A playoffs in their first season of AHSAA competition.

TA returns seven starters on offense and six starters on defense. Its good mix of experience that head coach Josh Wright says is a year older and a little bigger, faster, and stronger. Coach Wright also likes the *bond* the team created during last year’s playoff run. The challenge now is to do it again.

“Our kid’s mindsets really just, you know, just get better and let’s play the next opponent,” said Tuscaloosa Academy head coach Josh Wright, “but from that standpoint we’re not going to, like I said, surprise anybody. We’re just going to go out there and we got a lot of the same kids we had last year. Hopefully we can stay healthy and get lucky.”

Sam Garner, a senior lineman that plays on both sides of the football, says the team does not feel any additional pressure or stress to follow up last year’s playoff success.

“We are all ready to hit, ready to see what we got,” Garner said. “Last year we were a great team but let’s see what we have this year.

“We are not sneaking up on anybody now. Everybody knows who TA is. We don’t change what we do. We are going to go out there and play hard. I think now (the objective) is not to get back to where we were last year, it’s exceeding those expectations that people have for us now.”

Tuscaloosa Academy kicks off the season with a road game against Holy Spirit Catholic School on Friday, Aug. 25.