August 20, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
The DeKalb County High School Tigers will renew their annual season opening football rivalry Friday night, August 21 at home against the Warren County Pioneers.
Kick-off is at 7 p.m. and WJLE will have LIVE coverage on FM 101.7/AM 1480 and LIVE streaming at www.wjle.com with the Voice of the Tigers John Pryor and Luke Willoughby.
Due to TSSAA guidelines there will be a limited number of tickets for this game and all other DCHS home games this football season. Everyone must submit to temperature checks and have a face covering/mask to enter the stadium.
Although there have been uncertainties and changes necessitated because of COVID-19, Coach Steve Trapp said his players and coaches have adapted well and is hoping to get the season off to a great start. He is beginning his 16th season at the helm of the Tiger football program.
“The changes for us really started on the second week of March when school was let out. We were a couple of weeks away from starting spring football but we didn’t get to. Ultimately we were not able to do anything for a little over two and a half months up until June 1. Even then our practice schedule was a little bit different. We had multiple practice sessions with small groups of kids but we were able to get the same work done. We just had to find new and creative ways to do that,” said Coach Trapp, speaking on WJLE’s Tiger Talk Program.
Having a good group of upperclassmen returning this season has made the transition easier.
“Its not like a few years ago when we had a lot of sophomores who were starting out on the field and still trying to grasp everything we do. When we came back on June 1 we could pretty much call some plays with these older guys and they had a pretty good grasp of it. Having a veteran squad with a lot of guys coming back with a lot of experience is really a benefit in this situation,” said Coach Trapp.
While it may be inconvenient for some, Coach Trapp said following the protocols is worth it to keep players and coaches safe while getting to play football.
“I have told our players there are things we have to be willing to sacrifice with these extra protocols in order for us to have the opportunity to stay together and play. We are probably taking extra steps that we don’t have to in order to keep these guys safe like continuing to have small groups in the weight room but its all in an effort to put a product on the field and give this community some bit of normalcy as far as watching somebody play sports,” added Coach Trapp.
Coach Trapp will be joined on the sidelines this season by assistant coaches Thomas Cagle, Corey Rathbone, Michael Shaw, Brad Trapp, and Luke Green.
Last year’s Tiger football team advanced to the quarterfinals of the TSSAA Class 4A Playoffs before falling to Nolensville 42 to 6. The 2019 Tigers concluded the season at 8-5 overall and 2-1 in the playoffs. The season was historic for the Tigers in that it was the first time in school history that the football program had advanced to the 3rd round of the state playoffs.
WJLE’s Pre-Game shows begin with “Murphy’s Matchups at 6:00 p.m., a look at Tennessee High School Football from Murphy Fair with commentary on games and coaches interviews.
“Tiger Talk” debuts at 6:30 p.m. with the Voice of the Tigers John Pryor interviewing Coach Steve Trapp and Tiger football players Axel Aldino, Desmond Nokes, Caven Ponder, and Evan Jones.
The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. with play by play coverage on WJLE.