Pleasant Valley – whether in bumper cars, or the crash and grinding of soccer, Pleasant Valley sees reasons to run ‘all fuel and have no brakes’ by 2023.
By Joe Medley
This is August here and it’s Pleasant Valley, but not like the past few Julys that have occurred within Pleasant Valley.
Jonathan Nix and his coaching staff didn’t have to put on mining hats or scratch out enough players to last an entire football season, as it was in the past.
In contrast to 2022 in the past, unlike 2022, the Raiders did not lose crucial players due to injury prior to the start of August.
Nix is a seasoned team that is healthy and was within a couple of final-drive losses of breaking the school’s 13-year drought in playoffs last year. Following a recent team bonding excursion at BigTime Entertainment in Oxford BigTime Entertainment, the Raiders are looking forward to mixing the game.
“The go-karts are always concerned, as they’re not bumping” Nix said during Thursday’s preseason interview. “I’m uncertain if coaches were warned more about that, or a few of the players. After the helmets were on, the competitiveness was evident in a few of the players.
“There were certain vehicles that were gas-only and had no brakes, absolutely.” All gas and no brakes is to be a good description of the atmosphere in Pleasant Valley going into this season.
Then first, the Raiders begin their season in a location that teams would like to begin in August. The Raiders couldn’t have said that last year, as linebacker Luke Cranmer and running back/linebacker Zeke Curvin suffered injuries in the spring game, and during the Jacksonville State University camp, respectively.
It’s not the same as years ago when a few transfers threw things off, so that Nix and the staff were forced to take an emergency search across the hallways. They were able to find first-timers and a few inexperienced players.
Nix’s most recent team is a good example of the signs of health in football.
The Raiders have an experienced quarterback who is back as the starting quarterback. Braxton Salster began his career as an eighth grader in 2022 and has been praised more frequently reserved for players of older age.
“The most important thing that coaches and players love most regarding Braxton is his passion for football.” Nix said. “You can feel it. It’s evident whenever he enters the room. It’s clear that he’s here to do his job and it’s also clear that he’s a great teammate.
“He also brings other kids up and there’s something special about kids like him.”
Salster has shown his skills around him as a running back or receiver. Holt Bentley.
Pleasant Valley also has depth and experience on the front end and this is something that can always improve the value of a team’s position in the buy-sell analysis prior to the start of the season.
It’s not just the Raiders. Raiders are also able to provide a nebulous idea of where they are. They were 4-4 in Class 2A, Region 6 last year and missed one place in the playoffs. A critical review of the film footage from the loss of 21-14 to Locust Fork and 7-0 loss to Southeastern exposed issues that only the experience of playing can help fix.
“Early into the campaign, and about halfway through the season we were unable to win some heartbreaking games,” Nix said. “Some of the games were final-possession games.”
The Raiders discovered a way to turn these games into victories at close of the season defeating Gaston 20-14 as well as Weaver 28-22 to propel this team into an optimistic offseason.
You can also enjoy the excitement of Pleasant Valley’s brand new white helmets, which feature Columbia red and blue highlights. Nix created the new style on the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and a study of yearbook photos from school.
In the spirit of that research into traditions that inspired it is believed that the Raider head emblem has evolved into the Columbia blue “PV” logo, with red trim. Two thin red stripes surround the more pronounced Columbia blue stripe in the middle.
Nix loves the new red masks to brand his face. Nix wants his opponents to be able to see red after taking an entire head.
Also, he would like his players to be the color red … in the sense of being they are in charge! No brakes, all gas.
In contrast to other seasons it’s clear that there’s nothing holding Raiders back. Raiders back.
“It’s one of the few times I’m not starting all over again with certain things,” Nix said. “A number of the players were able to get a lot of games experience last year in their early years and I’m sure that’s definitely going to pay off with this team.”
Raider information
Things to be aware of about Pleasant Valley football heading into the 2023 season:
— Jonathan Nix enters his ninth year as Pleasant Valley’s head coach, and his the 15th season as head coach in general. He’s currently 24-56 on the field at Pleasant Valley and 61-84 overall with three playoff appearances all of them at Ragland.
– The Raiders were 4-6 overall, 4-4 (fifth position) within Class 2A and Region 6, in 2022. The Raiders are looking for their first playoff spot since winning three out of four times between 2007 and 2010.
Key graduation losses in 2022 are the following Calhoun County All-Stars the following: DB Dalton Haynes, RB/WR/S/DE Dason Vick, QB/RB/RB Zeke Curvin, LB/RB/WR Luke Cranmer, P Morgan Rich and OL Austin English.
The following All-Calhoun County selections are back the following players: the junior OL Grey Knight and senior LB Samuel Duncan, freshman QB Braxton Salster Senior R/W Holt Bentley, senior DL Connor Crump, sophomore S/RB/PR/KR/WR Jaydon Sparks and junior CB Hunter Sparks, junior S Clark Hill and senior S Bryce Freeman, senior OL Jackson Rose, and the senior OL Jeremiah Jones.
Watch out for players: Salster started all 10 games as an eighth-grader. He is considered to be a leader of the team, and was considered to be one of two most difficult players of the field. In addition to the obvious factor, he’s got Bentley to intercept his passes, and a seasoned line behind him. The junior linebacker/TE Noah Johnson, who starred in baseball, has now added basketball and football to his arsenal.
– — The Raiders sport one of best modern helmets … white with an red face mask with the red color, Columbia blue stripes in the center, and an Columbia blue “PV” logo that has red trim. It’s a look that’s reminiscent of earlier NFL teams, including the Houston Oilers, which moved into Tennessee Titans. Tennessee Titans.
