Jonesboro Hodge High School head coach Terrance Blankenship has been a veteran of the coaching game up in North Louisiana and is one of the longest active head coaches with one school in the state as he enters year number 13 leading the Tigers. For Coach Blankenship, it is business as usual just like every other season.
“We are doing pretty much what the other schools have been doing. We have been doing a lot 7v7 at Louisiana Tech and Ruston and every Tuesday in June, we go out there and play. We had a little break with the coaches clinic, but we just got back today so we are getting ready up to the start of the season.”
Jonesboro Hodge High School Head Coach Terrance Blankenship
Closing in on 25 years coaching football, Coach Blankenship has seen his fair share of experienced teams like the 2021 squad that made it all the way to the semifinals, but he has also seen some young and inexperienced teams like the one he is going to have this upcoming season. Although young with only five seniors this upcoming fall, the veteran coach has liked with what he has seen from this group through spring and summer, especially in the trenches.
“We feel pretty good about our spring. We scrimmaged Lincoln Prep and Delhi in a three team scrimmage. We have five seniors and 36 kids so we are pretty young. A lot of the young guys got the chance to play last season. Spring also helps us to see where we are at and what we need to work on. We feel pretty good about our offensive line and our running game so we are going to lean pretty good about that. We got a new quarterback in Dakota Knox. He’s going to be a junior this year. We are going to lean heavily on the run until he is able to get his feet wet. He’s also a two-way guy so we don’t want to overload him. We feel good about this season with the young guys that we got.”
Jonesboro Hodge High School Head Coach Terrance Blankenship
With just less than 40 players on the team, there will be plenty of playing time for a lot of players on this roster including veteran Ken’Waun Atkins, two way starter WR/CB Christian McGuire and two time All-District linebacker Landon Boston, who is also seeing more time at running back.
One of the guys that I want to mention is Ken’Waun Atkins. He plays offensive line and defensive line. I would have brought him today, but he is over on vacation in Tennessee. He is going to play right tackle and defensive end for us. He is going to be a senior and was on that semifinal team when he was a freshman.”
Jonesboro Hodge High School Head Coach Terrance Blankenship
“We are going to lean heavily on our running back Landon Boston. He got better over the year and is coming off a good spring. At the receiver position, we got our leading receiver coming back in Za’mauriyan Palmer. He is going to be a senior this year. He is a basketball player and a two way guy like a lot of small schools do. He’s good and he is big and physical and has deceptive speed.”
Jonesboro Hodge High School Head Coach Terrance Blankenship
Defensively, a lot of the same guys will be representing the other side of the football. Coach Blankenship likes with what he has seen from the defensive front and wants to see continued improvement in the secondary.
“On the defensive side of the football, the defensive line is going to be pretty good. We have a good linebacking core. We are waiting for the secondary to come around as we are trying to solidify the two cornerback spots. We got some guys that we are leaning on that have a lot of playing experience, but the younger guys are going to have to step up.”
Jonesboro Hodge High School Head Coach Terrance Blankenship
After a 4-7 season, the five Tiger seniors want to leave their mark and have a special season just like what they were able to witness four years prior, which was a state semifinal run.
“Right now, they are our focal point. They have to lead the guys the way those seniors led you your freshman year.”
Jonesboro Hodge High School Head Coach Terrance Blankenship
What will also help is that after playing the last couple of seasons in 2A, the Tigers will now be competing against teams with similar numbers.
“We dropped down a classification so we are 1A now. The teams that we will be playing in district and in the playoffs will have numbers like us. The teams we will be competing are similar to us so there are no excuses. The main thing in 1A is that we have to stay healthy because if you lose one player, you are really losing two because they play both ways.”
Jonesboro Hodge High School Head Coach Terrance Blankenship
2023 was a tough season in many different ways including personally for Coach Blankenship as he dealt with the tragic death of his stepson Bre’Untae Hicks last fall causing him to miss the rest of the season, but seeing how his team responded and played the rest of the season is something that Coach is super proud of to this day.
“Last year, we ended on a bad note. My season was cut short last year due to the tragedy that I had so I didn’t get to finish the last five games with the kids. The coaches did a great job filling in for me. The season ended on a sour note losing to Ferriday. A bright spot was when we defeated our rival Winnfield in Week 10. Other than that, it was kind of disappointing, but I like the way our team finished at the end of the year. They didn’t give up. They didn’t hang their hat.”
Jonesboro Hodge High School Head Coach Terrance Blankenship
Due to the Tigers moving down in class, the team will still keep its rivalry game against Winnfield, but it will be played this time at the start of the season rather the end of the season. Other highlights include new district games between Arcadia, Haynesville, Cedar Creek, Glenbrook, Lincoln Prep, and Plain Dealing.
Still, even with a new district, a new schedule, and new players, the familiarity stays the same with Coach Blankenship and his staff leading the way for another year in 2024.
Click HERE to read all of our Gridiron Football Media Day Previews!
You must be logged in to post a comment.