CHERRY VALLEY — Spring football is now underway for the Cross County Thunderbirds.
For new head coach Van Paschal, that means installing a new offense and a new defense.
“Offensively, flexbone, triple option. It’s what we did at Wynne. I’ve been doing it for the last 20 years, I guess,” Paschal said. “We’re starting with the basics. Fundamentals, drills. Defensively, same stuff. Alignment, the different defenses… The players understand that stuff. A lot of fundamentals, a lot of basics. It’s going to take a lot of repetition for them to get it down, but that’s what you do, the game of football.”
With a change in philosophy also comes a few growing pains. Coach Paschal said his players are adapting well for the most part.
“I always say you’ve got to like what you’re doing,” he said. “You’ve got to find something to bring you back the next day. That’s how I try to do it. Build that atmosphere where you like what you do and enjoy it.
“That’s why you played the game of football when you were 7, 8, 9, 10 years old in the backyard. Because you liked it,” Paschal added. “If you’re not liking it, or I’m not liking it, I’m going to find something else to do. That’s kind of been my mindset as a coach.”
Coach Paschal said the team’s numbers are currently in the 30s, but he’d like to hit the 40 mark before the start of the season. The 2024 season also marks Paschal’s 40th year in coaching.
“I think good coaching is you take a good player, make them hopefully a great player. Take an average player, and make them a good player. Take a poor player, make them an average player,” he said. “Get him to rise above, and play above maybe how he’s been playing. I’m trying to bring them together in a team atmosphere. I’m always preaching the word team.”
