It’s been more than a decade since the Carmi-White County football program has had enough kids to field a freshman football team. Carmi Kiwanis learned Thursday thanks to head coach Kurt Simon that won’t be an issue this year.
We haven’t had a freshman football team only since 2010 or 2011 I think was the last time we had enough kids to play a freshman team. This year we have 26. And I believe the 8th grade has 17-20, so good numbers for the future and they can play as well.
This year’s Bulldog football team also consists of 8 sophomores, 7 juniors, and 6 seniors for a total of 47.
Simon says this year’s team will be inexperienced, but they have a good attitude and other than Johnston City, there’s a chance this year’s squad can compete with the conference top to bottom. Junior Madden Anderson will pilot the Bulldogs at Quarterback. A large part of the team’s potential for success will hinge on the line. Simon says the Dogs graduated 4 of their 5 experienced lineman so they’ll run a slightly different offense during the upcoming campaign.
Basically, as an offensive line, we’re double teaming everybody. Because we’re inexperienced and haven’t played a lot yet so everyone is going together with someone else. We have 4 good backs; one of those backs is going to kick somebody out, there’s another back going through the hole, and we’re giving it to the third one. We’ll see how it goes. It’s the same offense that Fairfield and Johnston City run if you’ve been to any of the games over the last few years.
It all kicks off with a scrimmage against Red Hill in Bridgeport Friday night. The IHSA has a new rule that allows a pre season scrimmage which will take place of the traditional “Gator(ade) Bowl”. From there, the Bulldogs will welcome Flora for a week one matchup with the Wolves on August 30th. They’ll follow that up with two road games at Hamilton County and Sesser-Valier before coming home for two weeks hosting rival Fairfield and then Homecoming on October 4th against CZR. The Bulldogs will then head to Edwards County on October 11th before celebrating Corn Day and then it’s home and away to wrap up the regular season versus Eldorado and at Black Diamond favorite Johnston City.
Simon also talked about potential growth in the conference. With Vienna not fielding a team this year, the third time in four years, there is talk of kicking the Eagles out and there are a few teams the BDC could add. The Bulldogs pre season scrimmage opponent is most likely which would be welcome for North Egypt Conference traditionalists. There could be a couple other teams interested in joining. Simon says Lawrenceville could follow Red Hill and West Frankfort is vying to get out of the Southern Illinois River to River. Red Hill could join in football only as early as next year. The other two would have to join in every sport and it would take two years to get them on the schedule.
The following year if Lawrenceville would follow Red Hill and it’s possible; they’ve shown some interest, then get West Frankfort in, then you have 12 teams and you separate them. So you have Lawrenceville, Red Hill, Fairfield, Carmi, Edwards County, Hamilton County and then you have six on the other side. That’s kind of what we foresee down the road potentially happening and that’s for every sport. And then in football, being that you’d have twelve teams, you’d play your 5 conference games and then cross over to the other side for the other four ones. And you just come up with a rotation and that’s how it is every year. So, that’s kind of the vision right now.
You can listen or watch every Bulldogs football game on air at 97.3 WRUL, here at https://www.wrul.com and through the WRUL Sports YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@wrulsports2174.
