Both huddles and hopes are heightened for whatever hurls the Panthers’ way as the Fall ’24 Football Season soon approaches.
Head Football coach Kevin Sherman speaks with optimism as games are beginning to dot the calendar.
“We’re looking forward to our current roster. They are working really hard,” he states.
Hard work is exactly what is in store for the 113-player team after a 3-7 win-loss record the previous season. Defeat is the last word on Sherman’s mind.
“We have a great lineup,” offers the head coach optimistically. “We have some caliber athletes. I also think we have to expose that–show who we are as a team and win some ball games!”
However, it’s not just about winning for the Blackhats this fall. For Sherman, it’s about unifying the staff, coaches, and players, having an attitude of gratitude for the games ahead, and playing to the team’s fullest potential.
“We aren’t driven by results alone. We’re worried about the process,” he explains, “I tell my team all the time–you have to love the game for the game to love you back. And if you do that, you’ll get the results you want from hard work, dedication, sacrifice, commitment, and accountability. All of those things will come back and pay you back tenfold.”
Giving back is also on the agenda of the Blackhats.
“We want to play the best we can, and I want to give back to this community, this college,” Sherman remarks.
The team has been present within the community already, beginning by visiting a different local church this week.
Such activities are only a small part of the commaraderie the five alumni coaches hope to achieve. According to Sherman, the coaching staff is connected due to their shared Panther backgrounds.
“A connected team is a dangerous team,” he says. “And a disconnected team is a defeated one. It’s a process to come together.”
Wide receiver Quinn Parks, junior, agrees and echoes Sherman’s words.
“The future is bright,” Parks says. “The more connected we are, the more dangerous we will be. I look for this season to turn heads about our football program.”
Returning players assist with this, such as All-ODAC kicker Seth Deaton, senior, and Division 1 transfer and outside linebacker Trey Reiter, junior.
“I am feeling confident in our offensive, our coaches, and our plays,” Reiter speaks positively.
Not even placing last in the preseason ODAC pre-season standings is enough to discourage the Blackhats.
“We can’t control that. We can control the controls, though, our controls,” Sherman expresses. “And we do that by how we practice on and off the field and in the classroom. I’m big on having zero days. Zero misses, zero those types of things, and then compound those great zero days into greatness.”
The aspirations of greatness is furthered as 2024 marks the final season that the Panthers will play D-III, yet Sherman intends to leave such pressure on the back burner.
“I don’t want D-II to be a distraction,” he remarks. “Right now, we want to make sure our seniors go out the right way and have a great college experience that comes to a career.”
However, he does assure the team is both ready and excited for the challenge.
“This year marks 77 years of the program, you know, and I don’t take it for granted,” he says. “And for football, our strategy has not changed. We want to be a team, and we want to play football.”
Outside linebacker Sam Whitt, junior, is excited to be a part of Ferrum’s continuing legacy.
“These past few weeks of practice have been great, and we’ve really connected as a team,” Whitt assures. “The trust and love we have for each other is unmatched, and we can’t wait to get it going on September 7th!”
The attitude is only complemented by Reiter:
“It all boils down to hard work, effort, and leaving it all on the field.”
