A new era begins for Sumrall football Friday night when the Bobcats go on the road to face Collins in their 2025 season opener.
The Bobcats enter the fall with new leadership under head coach Drew Granger, who takes over a program that went 1-9 last season. Granger inherits a youthful roster, but one he believes has embraced the challenge of improvement.
“We’ve had a great fall,” Granger said. “One thing that I’ve been proud of offensively is our running back room. We’ve got three guys rotating and getting carries.”
The backfield rotation includes Sean Jones, Dalton Daley and Gavin Glass, who ran for 386 yards and 10 touchdowns a season ago.
“We’ve got Jones and Glass who are seniors and have played for us and a junior in Dalton Daley,” Granger said. “Daley is a grinder and gritty. He’s somebody that can really bring a spark when he steps on the field. And the two seniors bring a lot of experience to that room, and they have really excelled this offseason.”
Sumrall, a newcomer to Class 5A, will look to show progress when it plays the Tigers on Friday night.
“We are just really excited for this opportunity for our guys,” Granger said. “Our guys have worked really hard this offseason. They show up with the right attitude every day, and they do what we ask of them. To be able to go on the road against a Collins team is a great road test for our guys.”
Granger was encouraged by what he saw in last week’s jamboree, though he wants to see his team clean up small mistakes ahead of Friday’s opener.
“There’s definitely things we can clean up,” he said. “First thing is always going to be protecting the football offensively. We also just have to keep making sure we are sound defensively, gap integrity and running our coverage as we should.”
Defensively, Sumrall will line up in a 4-3 and count on senior defensive lineman Talik Parkman to anchor the unit. Parkman recorded 42 tackles and a team-high eight tackles for loss last year, and his leadership will be critical for a young defense. Michael Knight, who tallied 56 tackles and four TFLs, leads the linebacker group, while the secondary features Carson Speed, Isaiah Mister, Harrison, Jamarqus Hutton and Wade Marsh.
While much of the focus will be on Sumrall’s rebuild, Collins enters the matchup with plenty of confidence. The Tigers have long been known for their speed and play making ability, producing a tradition of state championships and playoff runs in 3A. They’ll test the Bobcats with a really ground game that can chew up clock and an offense that likes to stretch the field.
For Sumrall, the opener is about setting a tone. A win would mark the first step in reshaping the program’s identity under Granger, while Collins sees an opportunity to take down a 5A opponent.
“Sometimes playing hard isn’t always going to be good enough,” Granger said. “You have to play smart throughout the entire game as well. That’s something we are going to key in on this week ahead of the game on Friday.”
Playing on the road is never easy in the Pine Belt, and Granger said he is eager to see how his team responds to adversity.
“You always want to see how your team is going to respond during a four-quarter game,” he said. “It’s week one, so it’s a lot about how can we protect that ball and capitalize on the third level of the game, which is special teams.”
Granger will make his Bobcat debut at 7 p.m. in Collins.
