ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – Coach J.R. Edwards enters his 9th season in Rocky Mount with the Eagles dropping from a Class 6 to a Class 5 program.
Coming off a 6-6 season, Franklin County has been a regular in the Class 6 playoffs but they haven’t won a postseason game since 2018.
2023 starts with some holes needing to be filled. Stars like quarterback Eli Foutz and running back Jayhlen Lee have graduated. So the strength of the Eagles, at least early on, will be upfront. Line play and running football have always been “job one” in Coach Edwards’ programs.
“Whether we have skill - players - or not, it’s kind of our little bit of a mantra here as far as if we can’t run the ball we’re only gonna be so successful. We’re definitely going to try and run off tackle and ... you know we’re a play-action passing team. So if we get the running game established, then that really helps especially with the younger players. It really helps them along in the passing game,” Coach Edwards explained.
“We can definitely win the war in the trenches. We need to build a lot more chemistry in our team right now because we did lose a lot of seniors last year but overall I feel like we’re doing really well. I’m looking for more communication with each other. Definitely keep each other in check, always looking out for each other, and I feel like together as a team if we just truly come together as one then we’re gonna win some games this year,” senior tight end and defensive end Haven Mullins said.
The Eagles open the season at Piedmont District power Bassett on August 25.