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August 1, 2019 | Volume 4, Issue 27
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LHS football team finishes summer practice with wave of renewed confidence BY BLAKE ELLS Leeds Tribune Staff The Leeds Greenwave won’t strap on pads until school begins on Aug. 8, but new head football coach Jerry Hood has already been hard at work on the new season. Hood was formally introduced as head coach May 31, and he has embraced the challenge. “I think that we’ve gotten to know each other better,” he said of their voluntary gatherings over the summer. “I like the kids that we have. I wish there were 15-20 more, in numbers. But the kids that we have are very capable of having success. Their work ethic has been improving each week this summer. Their attendance has been improving, and their understanding of what we want them to do—the pace that we need to practice at—has increased. I really like where we are right now, and I really like that they’re super kids.” At his introductory press conference in May, Hood thought navigating the playbook might be a fairly easy transition. His style was similar to what the team was accustomed to, and it seemed that terminology was the biggest hurdle to overcome. Things didn’t go quite the way he envisioned at that point, but his players have adjusted well.
“Even though some of the terminology was the same, most of it was a bit different,” he said. “We’ve really started over from ground zero learning a new language.” This summer began with the evaluation of his available talent. Hood’s aim was to maximize the pieces that were already in place to give the Greenwave its best chance to win. “Based on the talent we have, what can we do?” he said. “Since we have this giant toolbox of possibilities, we can narrow it down to a starting point and increase it as we go.” Hood feels good about the talent that he has, but insists that his team can’t afford any injuries. He’s confident that things will be easier by his second season, as much of the team will have a clear idea of what to expect. He’ll also spend the next year recruiting in the hallways of Leeds High School in search of more students who want to represent their school on Friday nights. “I’d like to have 100 kids at Leeds,” he said. “I know that when you have numbers that great, you’ve got a better chance of being successful.” He’s worked this summer to improve participation. He’s worked to make his program as inviting as possible so that students will want to be there.
New head football coach Jerry Hood, left, with the team after a summer scrimmage. He’s worked to improve the culture. “When the championship teams that I coached were really, really good, everybody was dedicated,” he said. “There may have been an absence for a family reason here or there, but you did not miss. That’s something that we’re working through. Kids may not come out because they don’t think it’s important, but to us, every day is important. We teach, and we move on to the next thing. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been very pleased. Our numbers have been great, and we’ve been able to get a lot of stuff done.” Hood has changed some things around. The coaching offices have changed, the training room has been relocated and improved and the locker room has been improved to be a more comfortable space for players to hang out; televisions have been added, and sports are always on. “It’s all about the atmosphere and culture of what we’re doing,” he said. “Our practices are fun, but useful. All of that lines up to people being attracted to wanting to participate. That’s what we’ve concentrated on this summer.” The Greenwave will kick off the 2019 season at home against Sylacauga on Aug. 23. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. After that, they’ll travel to John Carroll before opening their home schedule on Friday, Sept. 6 against Elmore County.
Greenwave football players and cheerleaders show some swagger on picture day.
Leeds BOE picks builder for $1.3M central office BY NATHAN PREWETT Leeds Tribune Staff The Leeds Board of Education chose a builder on Tuesday to construct the new $1.3 million central office building behind Leeds Middle School. At a brief early morning meeting in the current central office, the Leeds Board of Education voted to accept the lowest bid of $1.3 million submitted by Bennett Building Co. of Alabaster. Superintendent John J. Moore said construction is
expected to begin around Oct. 1 this year and will take about nine months for completion, if weather allows. The board anticipates moving into the new building in June 2020. The school system’s administration has worked out of leased space on 8th Avenue since 2001. The property for the new central office was purchased on Hurst Avenue several years ago because of its location to the middle school. The new administrative building will be larger at 5,100 square feet and will include
a meeting room. The facility will also include 30 parking spaces. The school board had hoped to get administration office space within a new municipal complex the city planned to build with a tax increase, but voters turned down the increase in a January referendum. To pay for building a new office, the Leeds school district is getting an advance in funding from the Public School & College Authority instead of the annual appropriation. PSCA funds are meant for facil-
ity maintenance, upgrades, expansion and more. The Leeds Board of Education previously approved the advance draw against the PSCA allocation for the municipal complex but shifted gears when the referendum failed, Moore said. In other business, the board excepted contracts with Crescent Counseling Services and Lorraine Gilmore, M.S., CCC-SLP for the special needs programs at the schools. A special called session and budget hearing will be held on Aug. 27 at Leeds Middle School Library at 6 p.m.
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