Druid Hills football has big dreams, bigger obstacle

By Michael Carvell

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Finding a washing machine for player uniforms or ice for football practices was not the way Druid Hills coach Kip Hall envisioned spending his time during the preseason.

However, that’s the challenging situation for the Red Devils, who are aiming for the school’s first winning season since 1993. Their DeKalb County school is undergoing renovations, including the team’s locker room, weight room and football offices.

“That’s why football is such a great sport,” Hall said. “It’s a lot like life. It teaches you how to face adversity when you least expect it and to keep fighting.”

Druid Hills has high hopes for this season because it returns 18 starters from last season’s 4-6 team. However, the Red Devils have been dealing with annoying off-the-field distractions since repairs began on the school gym last April. The construction is expected to be complete in mid-September.

“We realize there’s frustration among some parents and it’s an inconvenience, but we’re doing this construction to provide the best facilities possible for the students,” said Dale Davis of the DeKalb County School System.

Druid Hills moved its spring practice to Shamrock Middle School, located a few miles down the road. The local YMCA came to the rescue for summer workouts, allowing the Red Devils to lift weights each afternoon.

However, the bigger headaches began Saturday when the full squad showed up for preseason practice. Hall determined it was too complicated and too time-consuming to move to another facility, so the players change in a storage pod before practices at Druid Hills. Home games are held at Adams Stadium.

“We’re doing everything from the hip, trying to figure out how to store the kids’ valuables,” Hall said. “We’ve decided to give each assistant a Ziploc bag, which takes away valuable time from the coaching meetings.”

The good news is that the team’s players have decided to have a positive attitude about the inconveniences.

“It was a problem at first, but it’s just more adversity we have to overcome,” senior wide receiver Byron Dickerson said. “I just take it all as a test to see where our hearts are at. Are we going to let this bring us down? Or keep fighting through it?”

Tucker coach Franklin Stephens knows about challenges from construction work. This will be the second year in a row that the Tigers will be without their normal locker room because of school remodeling. Tucker won last year’s Class AAAA state championship.

“There were practices where we could hear bulldozers in the background, and guys were in trees cutting down limbs with chain saws,” Stephens said. “Despite distractions, for some reason kids will adjust to anything. It turned out that it was the adults that have to stay focused.”