SALLISAW (KFSM) - 1-9 is a record nobody wants to see at the end of a season. But with a new coach, a new air raid offense, and a new passion - Sallisaw is looking to bounce back.
"The kids are bought in. They're here every single day," said first year head coach Randon Lowe. "They're going 100 miles an hour. They're loving it right now. I'm really encouraged by their hard work right now. We're gonna have a good year."
Coach Lowe brought an energy level that was contagious to the Black Diamonds, and it's shown with the effort the team has put out.
"I think we're the hardest working team in Sequoyah County, probably in Oklahoma," explained sophomore quarterback Jaxon McTyre. "Every time it's open, we're down here working. We're gonna have a lot more confidence than we did last year with Randon here. I think the team's more excited to play."
"Last year was good, but we never finished out. I think this year we're gonna go all the way throughout every game, and if we have to, overtime thrillers," added junior wide receiver Jace Nicholson. "We've got some people that can catch the ball, we can throw it. So it's going to be exciting."
A change starts in the weight room and on the practice field, and Sallisaw has made it a point to be practicing whenever possible.
"They've been here every single day," Coach Lowe said. "We were here on the 4th of July, we were here on the 5th of July, every time you open the door - they're here and they're willing to work, and that's what it's going to take to turn this program around."
"We're playing a lot more as a team this year than we did last year, and we've got some coaches and we're bonding with them easily so that makes the whole team a better place to be at cause our energy's better and we've got a better morale this year," Nicholson added.
And the town of Sallisaw is important to the Black Diamonds. They say they want to put on a show every Friday night.
"Every time we show up here, Perry F. Lattimore Stadium, home games - we want to go undefeated here," McTyre said. "Every home game. Win that, we'll go to the playoffs, we'll chase that gold ball."
Besides staying undefeated at home, Sallisaw has one major goal. To take over the state of Oklahoma.
"I think we're gonna show up, we're gonna hit people in the mouths," McTyre said. "We didn't do that last year, but this year, we're gonna be more physical. You can expect a lot more touchdowns. We'll up that scoreboard this year."
"We were down in the dumps last year," Nicholson remembered. "We're going to bring Sallisaw back to the city it was in football."
A city of winning and a team that fans can be proud of.