Crittenden County was a regional finalist last fall, finishing 11-2. But a key group of players will be gone – six to the collegiate ranks – so the second-year skipper is adding some flash to the head dress.
Sixty-four prospective players attended a “Reveal” event at the school in late March where Thompson unveiled a sample of the team’s new helmets for 2019. There will be a silver chrome version and a flat black helmet.
“We had worn the flat blue for several years, so we had those repainted flat black,” Thompson said.
As for the more dressy chrome tops, Thompson said it was all about kicking things up a notch.
“We wanted to breed some excitment back into the program,” he said, pointing to a way to counter a chorus of commentary about next fall’s team.
“People keep asking what are going to do after losing so many players you depended on. The kids hear that and it’s frustrating. So we wanted to give them something to be excited about,” the coach said.
The chrome helmets are the Schutt F5 model, the latest for high school teams. The booster club will be raising money to pay for them. As part of the fundraising effort, the team will be having a Lift-A-Thon in May. Anyone can sponsor a player. Coach Thompson recommends 25 cents per pound. Lifts will include bench, squat, power clean and dead lift.
Right now about 30 student-athletes are participating in off-season conditioning after school.
