VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) — The Lowndes High School football team has held onto the feeling of a state title slipping through their fingers since last season, a semifinal loss to Collins Hill put an end to this team's 2020 campaign.
"This is a new team new year, but yeah it burns at us," said head coach Jamey DuBose. "We didn't complete the mission, we didn't get after the finish line, we didn't get there."
Those four words left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Lowndes football team, and from that day in mid-December until now, they've replaced it with a new three-letter word - win.
"It's have a winning season," said DuBose. "It's win every ballgame. It's win Winnersville. It's win your Region. It's win the state championship. Those goals never change."
Those are the expectations fans in Titletown have come to know for the Vikings, but with a team that replenishes just three starters on offense and three starters on defense. Seniors like Jaccuri Brown will have to shoulder a whole new load of responsibility.
"Like now everyone is looking at me," said senior quarterback Jacurri Brown, who's committed to play football at Miami. "We'll be sitting in my house and chilling like dang we're seniors it's gone by so fast. It's really just taking the role of a quarterback. It's the quarterback rules, the quarterback jobs and that's what you got to do."
From the day he joined the Vikings program Brown has been a leader, and this coaching staff recognizes that he's been one long before being named a captain.
"He's a mature guy who I think guys in the past have looked to in the past," said DuBose. "The seniors that are gone I think they looked to him as one of their leaders last year."
"The only team that can beat us is us.," added Brown. "We just have to keep pushing and have the same goal and the same mindset and do the little things right."
Lowndes opens up the season Saturday, August 21st when they face Walton in the Corky Kell Classic at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
