25 teams in 25 days: D’Iberville Warriors
“Hard nose, straight at your face, no letting off the gas, just right at you football, and just straight at you,” Andre Crosby said. “That’s it.”
“Hard work,” Jarimyah Owen said. “You’ve got to have hard work and determination to be a Warrior.”
“It’s family, that’s what it is,” TJ Jasper said. “D’Iberville football and the D’Iberville community is family. All one big family.”
“It just means a lot to me and I just want to bring to all the fans everything,” Connor Jones said. “I want bring a State Championship here and make the fans proud.”
“A warrior mindset is somebody who’s trying to make their home stand’s proud, earn the respect of their opponent and be happy with the result at the end of the night with the effort and let the score take care of itself,” head coach Josh Ladner added. “Those are the kind of guys I’m looking for.”
A Warrior mindset is what 3rd year head coach Josh Ladner is looking for this 2024 season. He believes he will reach Warriors potential, alongside his senior leaders Andre Crosy, Jerimyah Owen, TJ Jasper, and Connor Jones.
“It’s a good feeling knowing that I can be there for my teammates and I’m just doing the best I can to help us when,” Owen said.
“I really do it for my pawpaw,” Jasper said. “He passed away my freshman year and that’s always been my spark. He was always with me from little league and all that so I really do this for them.”
“It means a lot,” Jasper said,”. “Growing up in D’Iberville, seeing all the teams and community, all the leadership going throughout the city and everything, it just means a lot to be named a “dog” or a leader on this team.”
The Warriors are bought in and sold on this upcoming season. With 21 seniors and a change on the defensive side of things, they are striving to change the narrative on the past two seasons and play true D’Iberville football.
“14 losses and 7 wins in the first two seasons and we want to flip that,” Ladner added. “We want to get at least 7 wins this year. That’s our goal and I don’t care how they come. I don’t care who it comes from, and honestly I don’t care where they get in line or what order that is, we just want to go out there and compete and let it take care of itself and I think it starts with winning everyday, day by day. I know every coach is going to say that, but I do believe that my team believes in that.”
“Just win,” Jasper said. “Win. We talk about, and this season is the shift. We just want to turn a lot of heads. People doubt us and say we’re not experienced, so there’s a lot of people that will be turning their heads this year.”
“We have a new defensive coordinator so our defensive scheme is different and I’m very confident in our defense,” Crosby added. “That’s what we needed to work on last year, and that’s what we’ve been working on all summer.”
All of the hard work during the summer and off-season will soon pay off as they suit up against Columbia on August 30th.
“It’s going to be good,” Owen said. “All the hard work we put in throughout the summer, spring, 7 on 7’s, it’s going to show.”
“I can’t wait,” Jones added. “Whenever we score a touchdown in the first game, just to hear everybody. Even in those first games away, I can’t wait for the first home game here when everybody’s screaming, the songs, and pregame too. I just can’t wait.”
“It’s so exciting,” Jasper said.” The atmosphere at Warrior Stadium is like no other, really like no other.”
