WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Since taking over in 2014, head coach Brandon Harner has turned George Wythe into a Class 1 powerhouse. It’s a big reason why he was named 1st and 10 Coach of the Year for 2022. Another reason? The Maroons made their first state title appearance in a decade, last December.
Although George Wythe was led by a strong senior class that has since graduated, they feel as though they haven’t missed a beat. The pound and ground game has been the Maroons’ bread and butter and they expect a strong line and veteran skill players to take this team back to new heights yet again.
“It’s like I told them, we got to be the same and have to have the same mental attitude that we had last year,” Harner said. “We have a murderers row as a schedule. You know, we’re one of the toughest Single A districts in the state, our out of district schedule is not any easier. So, the big thing about the group last year is that win or lose they came back the next week, ready to prepare and get better and get us on the run that we made towards the end and that’s exactly what I want this group to do.”
“Well, last year people coming in--the freshman they see us older guys making it to the top and they just want the same energy, same route, you know what I mean,” said Maroons quarterback Tandom Smith. “The positive energy, the new faces, it’s hot out here but they’re sticking through it.”
“I really think offensively if we could have the same physicality as we did last year, we can be hard to handle,” Harner added. Defensively is where I think it’s going to take a little time to get that mesh and get our run fits correctly but other than that, I’m very excited about this football team.
George Wythe will open its season on the road at Radford on August 25.