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By CODY TOMER
HUNDRED--First-year head coach Shane Minor has already been dealt a heavy blow and the season hasn't even started yet.
Heavy rains and flood waters did severe damage to not only the football field, but to the community as well, making football a secondary concern.
"These kids are handling everything very well," Minor said. "It has been tough for them all here. They have a lot to deal with in their personal lives and some may have to move."
It can be hard enough for a coach to take over the reigns of a program, but Minor is doing all that he can for the good of the kids.
"It has been a little overwhelming," Minor said. "I have been on the phone daily trying to come up with practice uniforms that fit all of the kids. People have been donating equipment and practice uniforms and we are so blessed to have it.
"It has been a lot for everybody but these kids have helped out so their hometown can recover, while trying to remodel their own homes. They have all seen it firsthand but I think this can make us all stronger."
Hundred is practicing and will be playing all of its home games at Clay-Battelle in the upcoming season while its football field is repaired. Along with all of the setbacks off the field, Minor is looking to get the Hornets back on track on the field.
Minor is in his first season as the head coach but has been an assistant coach at Hundred for two years. The Hornets went 0-9 in the 2016 campaign but Minor is trying to get things moving in the right direction.
"It will probably be another rebuilding year for us," Minor said. "We lost a good many seniors but we do have some young kids coming up.
"We are trying to lay the foundation to change things in the community for the good. We want to make some changes and get kids interested in football. If I could get more kids in our school interested to come out, I think we could be even better."
The Hornets will have to take the field without eight members of last year's squad who graduated, including starting quarterback and standout athlete Danny Stewart.
"Stewart was a great athlete," Minor said. "I would love to have him back for just one more year."
Also lost to graduation for the Hornets include Richard Yocum, Tyler Norris, Charles Matthews, Isaiah Jobes and Justin Pletcher.
Sophomore Logan Norris will do his best to take over for Stewart behind center and should provide a strong future at the position.
"Norris was Stewart's backup last year," Minor said. "We want to get him some experience to build off of and he should be pretty tough when he is a junior and a senior."
Sophomore Martin Baker could provide a spark in the backup quarterback role and will take the field as a defensive back.
Norris won't be alone in the backfield as junior running back Andrew Zedell will be taking the handoffs and looking to eat up yards.
"Andrew looks pretty promising," Minor said. "He supplies a little more size in the backfield and is a very tough runner."
Sophomore Slyler Shuman will also provide a threat at the running back position.
Perhaps Hundred's biggest strength rests at the wide receiver position and freshman Skylar Goff could play a major role in the passing game.
"We have a lot of speed at receiver but just not much size," Minor said. "We probably have 11 guys who can play receiver but Goff is definitely going to play. He is an athlete and is going to be something special one of these days."
Others lining up at receiver include sophomore Bryce Bartrug and freshmen Robert Hostutler, Gauge Boston and Jacob Kuhn.
The offensive line consists of seniors Tim White, Andy Howell and Zach Zedell and sophomores Elijah Geho, Brenden Bailey, Dylan Gump, Marlin Hippensteel and David Gray.
The defense starts at the linebacker spot for the Hornets as junior Charles Rine provides a combination of talent and leadership that could make everyone around him better.
"Rine looks really good at linebacker," Minor said. "He has played for two seasons now and it is really nice having a little experience on defense."
Coaching alongside of Minor in his first year at the helm are assistant coaches Corey Kimble and trainer Candy Watson.