SSilverdale coach Al Rogers has 28 players on his preseason roster, and only three of them are seniors.Once again, Silverdale Baptist Academy’s high school football team is small in numbers. And once again, expect the Seahawks to be big on heart.
“I call us a blue-collar private Christian school,” said Al Rogers, who coached the middle school team for three years before taking over the high school program last year. “The kids that play here know about a hard work ethic and are willing to put forth the effort needed.
“The difference between us and a public school,” added Rogers, a 20-year coaching veteran who came to Silverdale from Ooltewah, “is the desire for the Christian aspect, and the parents are much more involved here, which is good.”
However, there can only be so much parental involvement when there are 28 players. Making things more challenging for Rogers and his staff, 25 are juniors or younger.
The seniors will at least play prominent roles, and not just from a performance standpoint.