Photos Ivan Felipe
Last season, Model entered a brand new region down the lines of Highway-27. It was tough sledding for the squad in Shannon, as they would finish 1-5 in the region and miss the playoffs. While it was not the season desired in terms of record, there was still an abundance of positives that came out of an extremely competitive schedule.
“I think that we constantly progressed last year. When we played the two best teams in our region outside of Cass, I felt like our kids showed up; I thought that we played well against the tougher teams on our schedule towards the end of the year,” said Head Coach Jeff Hunnicutt.
Nothing has changed for the pedigree and standard that the coaching staff challenges their players to live up to. “We just want to take it one game at a time. I like for our team to be player-led and have leadership. It has to continue to grow, but if we want to live up to our goal of being competitive in the playoffs, and not having leadership will not pay dividends on a Friday night.”
While Model does not utilize a spring practice window, the summer is used to amp up the players and get them ready for a typical Friday night.
“We are still building a 2025 team. We still need leadership; it just has to happen. Once we hit July, we are in acclamation and in scrimmage league.
We can do all the 7on7 and whatnot in June, but once July hits, it’s basically starting from ground zero. Coaches are still implementing their philosophies and what we are doing schematically.”
“Things are still never going to be about me. I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to build relationships and teach kids the core values. This group has grown a lot, and I am excited to see what they are going to do.”
The Shannon faithful will hear a lot of numbers called under the Friday Night Lights. Chadon Woodley, an upcoming sophomore, will contribute at both DB and WR. Rance Cunningham and Malachi Shelley will be juniors, along with Collin Watson at linebacker, who look to step up as upperclassmen. Jesse Ayers, a junior, and Cooper Henderson, a senior, will anchor the offensive line. Ridge Hardaker, a senior, will be prominent in the backfield and linebacker core. Brysen Bell, a senior, looks to be more of a possession receiver and play a little bit of safety. CJ Walker looks to be the next starting signal caller for the Blue Devils.
If there is one thing for certain, the Model community will always show up and be proud, and all signs point towards excitement in Shannon underneath the Friday night lights.
