As he turned his attention to spring football, Jason Reel knew that many of the pieces were in place for Bledsoe County to defend its District 7-AA championship.

Quarterback Cody Holloway is coming off a 2,100-yard, 29-touchdown passing season. Brandon Smith averaged 7.6 yards per carry and 108 per game in exceeding 1,000 rushing yards and added 429 yards on 33 catches. Last year's offensive line returns intact.

What the coach sought in the spring and through the summer was a replacement for Michael Gibbons, who caught 72 passes for 972 yards and 10 TDs.

Enter Jeremiah Gilbert, a 5-foot-10 junior whose intense weight-training regimen has taken him from 159-pound sophomore starter to 195-pound weapon-to-be.

"He could be the missing piece to the puzzle, but he's a piece that can fit in so many places," Reel said. "He has to show me he can do it like he's been showing me the last few months."

Gilbert, a receiver last year, is penciled in there again, but it's likely he'll play cornerback on defense, long-snap for punts and placement kicks and return kickoffs.

"I'm confident in the guys I played with. I'm confident about my abilities," Gilbert said. "I'm excited, but I admit I have butterflies."

His confidence comes from a summer cycle of working on his uncle's farm -- everything from maintenance, mowing and tree-cutting to planting corn, beans, tomatoes and potatoes -- working out and eating.

The workouts were a constant, reflecting his feverish drive to be bigger, stronger and faster. Sometimes he would go through workouts at school, go home to a big supper and work out another two or three hours.

His parents, he said, often wondered aloud if his huge appetite and endless weight work were healthy.

"If I was on the run I might just grab some cereal for breakfast, but it was often scrambled eggs, biscuits and sausage," he said.

Lunch provided a variety, but there was always plenty of it, and dinner always consisted of chicken or steak with plenty of green beans, corn and potatoes.

"Sometimes it might be peas or turnip greens," he said of the side dishes.

And following a post-supper workout it was, without fail, a return to the refrigerator.

"I'd find something -- a couple of sandwiches or I'd reheat leftovers," he said.

His effort and the nine-month transition shocked the usually stoic Reel, but he's hoping that his new link helps the Warriors to a second straight district title.

"Everybody has gotten better and for sure nobody has regressed," he said. "I think each Friday will be very competitive."