PREP PREVIEW: A lot of 'new" surrounding Marbury this season
Noah Gentry and Micah Thompson attended the recent RRS Prep Media Day at Garrett Coliseum. The Marbury Bulldogs will have a new playing surface this season. (Drew Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
Marbury coach Houston Powell said his team’s offseason strength and conditioning work went a long way toward getting the Bulldogs ready for the 2024 football season.
But another factor played a role as well. When the Bulldogs kick off the season next week, they will playing in new uniforms and a refurbished stadium that includes a $1 million artificial playing surface.
“A lot of people have this vision of the old Marbury down the road,” Powell said. “When people come and visit our school, they’re blown away by what our school system has blessed us with.”
The new turf, approved by superintendent Lyman Woodfin and installed by River Region Sports Fields of Millbrook, saw its first action on July 29 when the players were allowed to practice on the recently installed surface.
“We’ve come a long way,” said Powell, a former Marbury football player now in his second year as the head coach. “I think it just adds appreciation. It shows how much people care about our program and our community. I think it just brings that extra spark, that we’re not that small school mentality. We’ve invested in our program, we’ve invested in our kids. We want you to be the best. We’re giving you all the resources you need to be the best.”
The Bulldogs struggled to a 2-9 record last season, but the new uniforms and the new field have certainly created some pride in the football program.
“Getting turf is like we’re taking the next step in the future of our program,” senior Christian Taylor said. “When you see schools like the 7A schools with nice stadiums and see how they carry themselves within the program, I feel like it makes us take the next step into the future. And it gets everybody excited because it looks cool. A lot of the players are excited. We’ve got new jerseys, we’ve got new turf. From last year to this year, it’s like night and day. There’s a whole new energy throughout the building, an excitement in the community.”
Marbury will open the season on Aug. 23 in Millbrook against Stanhope Elmore before playing its first game on the new surface on Aug. 30 against Bayside Academy.
“I think the turf field just shows how supportive the community is and how they want us to be successful,” sophomore Noah Gentry said. “We have everything we need to be great. I think it just shows how supportive the community is toward our goal.”
The Bulldogs haven’t won more than six games in a season since 2007 and haven’t played a home playoff game since that season. Earning a playoff berth could be a tall task in a rugged region that includes Beauregard, Valley and Central-Clay, but the players are optimistic entering the 2024 season.
“I feel like we’re starting a brand new chapter,” junior Micah Thompson said. “It’s a clean slate. We’re going to build up our way from here. I don’t want all this stuff to go to our head. ‘Oh, we have all this new stuff, we’re the best.’ I feel like we have to stay humble and keep pushing.”