It’s a different year, but the goal and focus remains the same for North Montgomery football. After finishing the season 4-5 last season, the Chargers will look to build off of last season. Coach Josh Thompson always preaches getting better and controlling the things that his team can control. That message is the same again as North Montgomery is kicking things into high gear with the season on the horizon.
“Our kids so far have been really positive in these first couple of weeks,” Thompson said. “Assignment-wise we seem to remember a lot from last year so those are two things that I’ve really been pleased with here early on.”
Ross Dyson will return for his junior season at the quarterback spot for the Chargers. He and Drew Norman split reps last season. The ground game will once again be a prominent feature of the Chargers offense as Dyson can use his legs to make plays from the QB spot as he had 312 yards on the ground and four touchdowns a season ago. Fellow junior Austin Sulc will be the primary ball carrier as he was the leading rusher for North Montgomery a season ago with 381 yards on just 70 carries and had three 100-yard games.
“We do return some of those guys who played key roles for us last year,” Thompson said. “Then we’ve had some other guys who have stepped up nicely to fill some of the gaps and that’s always a good thing to have. There’s still a few things we still have to figure out as we have a scrimmage coming up and then North Putnam next Friday. We’ll learn a lot when we start to hit some one else in a game-like situation.”
As far as the goals for the Chargers, they again remain the same. It’s all about county, conference, and then playing their best in the sectional. A season ago the Chargers were unable to play county rival Southmont due to COVID-19 issues with the Chargers. This year North is hoping to bring back the county crown that they won in 2020.
“Winning county is always a priority for us,” Thompson added. “We want to always also perform well in the conference and then attempt to make a run in the state tournament. That starts with the sectional. That’s where our focus is, but it starts with McCutcheon then getting ready for North Putnam next Friday.”
North Montgomery’s game against North Putnam is on the road week one. The Chargers will host Hamilton Heights for the home opener in week two before gearing up for their first Sagamore Conference matchup against county rival Southmont in week three.
