2021 36 Blitz: Bourbon County Colonels

PARIS, Ky (WTVQ) – Year two for Bourbon county’s David Jones was a tough one. It was a mix of blowout losses and close losses all against tough opponents. Those tough opponents born from a pandemic year where you played whoever you could get your hands on and the colonels took on anyone.

“You know we were nowhere near the programs and things like that, but we wanted to play football and had seniors that wanted to play football so we did the best we could, but we learned a lot,” says Coach David Jones. “We learned a lot about ourselves. We learned a lot about our players and their mindset and things. So we just re-channeled everything and brought it back.”

As for the players, they were the ones out there and say they did learn from last season.

“I’d say really how to adapt and cope with adversity,” says senior defensive back/wide receiver Amir Roberts. “You know that’s a big part of our team, a big part of what we went through last year. Yea it’s really just learning how to get through stuff and bond as a team and come together.”

“We just need to focus on our teamwork mostly,” says senior offensive/defensive lineman Conner Yazell. “Those real rough games last year we just fell apart mostly. So we just need to try and work on coming closer as a team and cohesion.”

In year three under Coach Jones the Colonels continue to come together, but also have their eyes on the bigger picture. Changing the program or…be the change. That’s the team’s motto this year.

“That’s why we got them ‘be the change’ because you know we have to change the culture and understanding me turning the program at Phelps and changing that culture,” says Coach Jones. “I knew it was going to take several years to do it here. We’re going into our third year here and it’s changed…it’s changing.”

As Coach Jones allows the culture to build slowly, but surely here at Bourbon County, he also let’s his team build their own identity and this team this year brings the energy.

“The energy is like that. There’s no fakeness in it,” says Jones “We play music for these kids here even though I may not know it. I act like I’m hip to it, but I’m not. We play the music for them and they create their own atmosphere. And that’s what we’re trying to get them to do.”

“We want to be more hype. We definitely want to be more focused on every team taking it one week at a time and just focusing,” says Roberts “High intensity practices. Everything is a lot more organized this year Coaches got that together for us.”

The Colonels know it will take more than just energy and enthusiasm, but they have the playmakers to make it happen

“Making sure we get the ball in playmaker’s hands,” says Roberts. “We got a lot of playmakers this year. Just making sure we get the ball in their hands and letting them make plays.”