Swainsboro Tigers football looks to sustain success

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Finding a way to have one successful season is a great accomplishment, but finding a way to sustain that success is easier said than done.

We were in Swainsboro to find out if the mighty Tigers have what it takes to make another deep playoff run this season.

The Tigers lost four key offensive linemen, and quarterback Ty Adams to graduation last season. This off-season has been about replacing them, getting a whole new group of guys ready, “if I’m not worried about the the experience, guys, we are worried about the ones that have to grow up and are trying to feel some big shoes from last year. So no, the other worries the same every year,” said head coach Scott Roberts.

There’s plenty of old faces too. Jerrod Steward, Kason Palmer and Georgia commit Demello Jones are returning for their fourth season.

“That’s 40 ball games so far for some of those kids. They’re the leaders of that bunch, and we’ve got some guys that haven’t played a lot in that class, that are having to step up now,” said Roberts.

Jones almost never leaves the field, where the ball is-he is.

“We knew he was talented, when he came to us in the ninth grade, but just to see his competitive nature, he hates to lose, and he’ll do anything you can to win. He’s a very unselfish kid. He’ll do all the little things that a lot of times you don’t, you know, you have trouble getting kids with that kind of clout that they don’t want to do the little grunt stuff, but he does. And that’s, you know, that’s what makes him one of the leaders on our football team is that he’s willing to do that.”

Demello said, “You just gotta keep composure. Always be yourself. You never know who watching. I always looked up to people when I was younger, I get to do this now.”

On making it back to the state championship, Roberts follows the same logic Demello’s next coach preaches by: avoiding complacency.

“We’re not entitled anything we know that I mean, and the more success you have, and the easier it seems like things come you tend to forget how much work you put in to get there. We’ve got a bull’s eye on our on our back, and everybody’s gunning for us and we’ve got to bring our best every Friday night.”

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