CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville Academy Cougar football team is in the midst of summer practice, looking to use these summer months to get better both as individuals and as a team. The motto this year for the Cougars: trust.
The Cougars are coming off a 1-9 season in 2023-24, which is not what first-year head coach Steadman Bell envisioned. While the record may not have shown how close the Cougars were to a couple more wins, Bell is looking for consistency during his second season at the helm.
“You can learn a lot from what we did from last year, the good and the bad, and that’s what both our players and coaching staff have been doing,” Bell told Clarksville Now. “Consistency is the biggest thing, limiting the small mistakes that allowed for big opportunities for opponents. The scoreboard doesn’t represent what we were last year.”
As for the X’s and O’s, Bell said his offense is looking to air the ball out this year, led by quarterback Ethan Bones and a plethora of weapons at receiver.
“We want to throw the ball around a little bit,” Bell said. “We have a lot of skill guys, and Bones is going to be with us from the jump, as he was hurt last year. That chemistry will really help us, but we also have to take what the defense gives us.”
As Bell and Clarksville Academy prepare for the 2024-25 season, the coach is starting to see some of the work his team has put in come to fruition. Now, the Cougars are looking to surprise some people in the fall.
“We’re finally starting to become a player led team, not just vocal, but in their actions,” Bell said. “Our faculty, staff, administration and fans have been really supportive of us, and now the only way to get people there is to win.”
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