Calling all able-bodied young men walking the halls of McKenzie - Coach Kirkland wants you!

With the conclusion of the Tiger's football season, the Tigers are already gearing up for next year and they need players.

"We need 12 or so guys that want to play to step out of that hall and help us," Kirkland said. "I think some guys are afraid that I'm going to want to leave after a season like this, but I'm here to tell them that I don't scare that easy."

The Tigers won their first game against Flomaton boasting a team of more than 25 players but quickly dwindled to 16.

Losing five seniors this year, the Tigers will be looking to current sophomores Daniel Ballard and Nick Kelley to lead the squad of mostly ninth graders.

"We've got to get in the weight room and bust our butts," Ballard said. "We're going to get better and I'm planning a trip to the playoffs next year."

"I wish I had had a summer or spring with them," Kirkland said. "We'd have won more. These guys put up a real fight though."

Kirkland said that despite the lack of wins, the fans have been very supportive of him and the team.

"They realize we have a young team," he said. "We've just got to commit to getting bigger, faster and stronger."

Kirkland said the current team will hit the weight room Monday and work for about a month before he'll hold an assembly asking for help.

"Their a young bunch in McKenzie and they've come a long way," McCrory said. "I've scene tapes of them earlier in the season and you can tell they're being coached well. The gave us some challenges."

"I can't say enough about Coach McCrory," McKenzie Coach David Kirkland said. "He offered to help me for the first day I came here. I have a lot of respect for him."

Senior Matthew Bush said the he had high hopes for next year's team.

"They're the foundation of our next championship," he said.

Offensive powerhouse David Davison said the young team needed to get into the weight room tomorrow and start working out for next year.

Colt Bush said the young squad worked as hard as they could.

"We played with a lot of young boys," Bush said. "Give them a few years and they'll be strong."

Jason Merritt said the team "gave them all we had and just got out numbered a lot."

Travis Bush said of his last year that he would always remember the game against Goshen.

"I really enjoyed playing that game because I got to cause a lot of trouble," he said. "I made them fumble and stopped them a few times."