The curtain closed on the 2022 high school football season for the Kirk Academy Raiders last Friday night.
It wasn’t the end that supporters of the program, along with the players would have liked to have seen. It was a season that saw a group of players work through a season of firsts marked with tragedy with the death of a classmate and ended with a 59-0 loss to Class AAAA power Greenville St. Joseph on the road.
Kirk finishes 1-9 on the season. St. Joseph finishes the regular season with an 8-1 mark and claimed the Class AAAA, District 3 title. The Fighting Irish drew a bye in the opening of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Class AAAA Playoffs. They will host the winner of the Carroll Academy-Bowling Green School, La., on Nov. 4.
“It was tough for the defense much like it has been all season,” defensive coordinator Stephen Crenshaw said. “We didn’t break down in tackling position and went right by the ball carrier on most occasions. We have no anticipation, no feel for the game. It’s what happens when you have 10 of 11 players that have never played varsity football. St. Joe is as good as advertised – big, fast and athletic.”
Offensively, the Raiders were not able to get much going against the St. Joseph defensive unit.
“We had just a few first downs, but not much,” Crenshaw said. “We had a couple of interceptions, couple of errant passes and a couple of drops. Quarterback Lane (Goss) didn’t have much time to get passes off. They defended our short passes well thanks to athletic ability.”
Crenshaw turns his thoughts to the offseason and the new district alignment, which is set to be released soon. The Kirk graduate will await word from Jay Watts, who served as interim head coach, along with his duties as Head of School as to who the new head coach will be.
“I will meet with the varsity this week,” Crenshaw concluded. “Gear will be taken up and I will discuss the weight room. They will get this week off and we will begin work Monday. We will be on weights Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Wednesday will be our agility day, while Friday will be an off day. Most of the guys will be going to other sports, which is great. I’ve talked to all coaches and they agree weights are essential.”
