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Nelson County completes first practice under Hicks

There are moments in life where you’ve worked extremely hard for something, where you’ve earned your chance and where it finally comes to fruition.

 

Nelson County’s Matt Hicks, a longtime local assistant football coach at Monticello and then Albemarle, got to experience that moment Monday as he and the Nelson County football team took the practice field for the first time with Hicks as their head coach.

 

“It was an amazing experience,” Hicks said. “For them to put in the effort, to be willing to push through the tough parts of a hot summer day and really work consistently throughout was just an amazing thing to see.”

 

Hicks has put together a solid first staff, and the approach they’re taking was evident in the first practice as Hicks and assistants stayed positive throughout and focused on the basics. They’re intent on building the Governors, one of Central Virginia’s most hard-luck programs, from the ground up. That starts with creating a learning-oriented, passion-filled atmosphere on the practice field. On day one, that was there.

 

“I wanted people that believed that Nelson County football can be great,” Hicks said. “People that believe in the players we have here and making sure that we’re building those guys up. That positivity, that instructional piece is very deliberate because we want them to know all of the ways they can be successful.”

 

It didn’t hurt either that Nelson County’s captains were clearly starting to accept the mantle of leadership and ownership that Nelson is going to need as they start the process of program construction again. Bryce Adkins, Drai Taylor, Devante Rose and Charles Tibbs.

 

“I’ve talked with them throughout the summer about what it will take for this team to be great,” Hicks said. “Leadership from amongst the players has always been a hallmark of every successful program I’ve been at because their ability to push guys and help guys and make guys feel like everything that they’re doing is worth doing is worth more than anything I can share with them on a daily basis.”

 

Continuity will also help. For some of Nelson’s older players, this is the fourth or fifth offense in three years after former coach Mark Poston tried a couple of different systems to try and fit the personnel. The Governors are big up front, and with Hicks’ background as a line coach, that’s an advantage he can exploit.

 

There’s a lot of work ahead, but Nelson County is off on the right foot with Hicks at the helm.

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