White County High School Head Coach David Foster is preparing his senior class to build on last year’s playoff success by focusing on team unity and mental discipline.
Coach David Foster said the previous senior class achieved success by buying into the philosophy of playing one play at a time and controlling only what they could influence. Foster said if the current group of seniors adopts that same mindset of playing for each other, they will have every opportunity to position themselves for a deep postseason run.
“Once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen, so we have to try to make that happen,” Foster said. “Well, I think that I think that last year’s senior class really, really bought into the idea of playing together as a team, you know, playing a game that’s one play long. Uh, you know, each game is one game, each play is one play. Let it go. Control what we can control. And uh, all those things that uh, that allow you as a team to just play football and not worry.”
Foster said the program will maintain its physical identity despite graduating several starters from the offensive line. Foster said the team prioritizes toughness and physicality over raw talent to compete in a region featuring physical opponents like Upperman, Stone, and Macon County.
“We’re not going to necessarily play the most talented players, we’re going to play the toughest and most physical players,” Foster said. “And if they happen to be the ones that are the most talented, then that’s good. But, uh, that’s just the expectation, you know, and the kids understand that. So, I think that takes care of itself.”
The Warriors return several key contributors, including quarterback Tucker Pinion and tailback Cole Sims. Foster said having continuity at those positions is beneficial because the players have already gained the experience necessary to overcome mistakes during a long season.
“I think that it makes you less likely to be afraid to make mistakes because you’ve made some and overcome them,” Foster said. “Like, that’s the thing. I don’t want kids to ever be playing afraid of messing up. And I think, sometimes when you don’t have any experience, that can kind of limit you. If you’ve played quite a bit, you know that bad things are going to happen.”
Foster said the returning roster also includes Jojo Dow, Eli Smith, and Bryson Hogg, who caught a game-winning pass against Livingston last season. Foster said the defense features linebacker Eli Sparkman and lineman Lex Winfree, who has earned Lineman of the Year honors for two consecutive years.
“This class has been together… you know, they won in middle school, a lot of them have been playing together since they were kids, so they tend to play as one,” Foster said. “But at some point, there’s going to be a moment where leadership is needed and I have every confidence that they will handle that.”
Foster said many of the players are also high achievers in the classroom and active participants in the community. Foster said the team functions as a community-oriented program where players like Sims, Pinion, and Hogg are willing to help in various ways.
“We’ve got really good kids that do a lot in the community and do really good in the classroom,” Foster said. “I mean, Cole Sims is a great student and a great player. Tucker’s a good student. You know, Bryson Hogg’s a fantastic student. Eli Smith, Eli Sparkman. You know, we’re a community team, so we have lots of kids that are willing to help in any way.”
