Hickingbotham buys into Devils

Jacksonville's new football coach witnessed some of the Red Devils' best days of football.

Barry Hickingbotham, a 1987 Jacksonville graduate, was a ball boy for the Red Devils team that went 14-0 in 1981. Bit by bit, he is looking for a return to that past.

"There's a lot of work ahead of us, but we're excited for the opportunity and the challenge," Hickingbotham said. "We're trying to instill pride in our kids in everything we do. That will be our foundation, taking pride. If we can do that one step at a time, we feel like we can get this thing navigating in that direction."

Hickingbotham's staff includes two other Jacksonville graduates and Athletic Director Jerry Wilson, who has coached at the school for nearly 30 years.

"Our guys are part of this community, and have been for a long time," Hickingbotham said. "We all know about the tradition."

Hickingbotham said his team would use multiple offensive sets, but perhaps senior tailback Lamont Gause put it best.

"We're going to go with whatever gives us the best chance to win in the fourth quarter," he said.

"We'll play bully football if we can," Hickingbotham said. "If we can't, we'll try to work around the perimeter. We've worked on both styles, but we're going to try to run the ball first, for sure."

Gause rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season, when Jacksonville finished 4-6 and fifth in the 5A-Central.

"[Gause is] a dynamic player," Hickingbotham said. "He has some gifts and he's working hard, and we're just trying to keep him focused. He has a chance to be a special player for us this year."

Hickingbotham said senior Caleb Price, junior Brandon Hickingbotham, his son, or sophomore Rowdy Weathers will start at quarterback but a front-runner hasn't emerged.

"They're all working extremely hard," Hickingbotham said. "We're just going to wait and see if one of them will separate himself from the others. It's three guys working together, trying to make each other better."

Jacksonville's offense will work behind a line expected to average about 275 pounds, but Hickingbotham said his linemen have plenty of room for improvement.

"We have some good-sized kids. We're just trying to get them focused on the process," he said. "We're a little slow at that right now, trying to develop our running game. With a guy like [Gause] behind them, we have to find a way to open some holes to give him some space to move around."

Jacksonville's defense surrendered an average of 26.9 points a game last season, but Hickingbotham said senior linebacker Justin Abbott, a three-year starter, should lead a much-improved unit. He said senior lineman Anthony Fields and J.D. Walker also will contribute.

"The quarterback of our defense will probably be Justin Abbott," Hickingbotham said. "He's a guy we're going to rely heavy on."

Gause said he likes what he has seen through preseason camp.

"We're looking good," Gause said.

"Everyone's working together," Hickingbotham said. "Right now, it's all about 'us' and not about 'I.' That's kind of what we're shooting for."

Sports on 08/20/2014