BUCHANAN, Va. – The 1st and 10 Camp Tour heads up the I-81 corridor where James River is looking for a turnaround season out of the Three Rivers District.
The Knights had a solid 3-0 start last year before the injury bug paid them a visit. They return to the field hungry to right their wrongs and live up to a higher standard. Summer weight room workouts were higher than they’ve been in quite some time along with the overall number of guys playing and the intense level of “buy in”.
“What we’ve seen is, especially on the defensive side of the ball and a couple guys here and there that were young on the offensive side of the ball, just kind of picking up where they left off in November,” said James River head coach Tim Jennings. “You know, just the communication and understanding kind of the schematics and things like that. Obviously, we look rusty in places, but overall, the experience, we can see that carryover.”
“We got people that want to play this year, and we got a lot of people,” said Knights senior tight end and middle linebacker Kody Park. “We’ve had people come to the off-season workouts, too, which helps a lot, but we’re ready to play this year. We’re hyped.”
“It’s tough competition. Tough competition always makes you better,” said Knights junior running back and cornerback Gavin Binns. He’s one of the more eager players to return to action after missing six games due to injuries in 2023. “I feel like if you just go out there and beat them, just do what we can do and it’s hopefully best.”
Since they played younger guys earlier than expected, James River has experience and depth. They are young in the skill positions having to replace guys like four-year starting quarterback Zeal Hammons. Schematically they’ll be the same but look a little different as they open the 2024 season on the road at Buffalo Gap.