After a two-year hiatus, football is getting ready to return to Mathews High School this fall.
Conditioning for the summer officially began on Monday, with about 20 prospective players showing up for the first evening practice under the guidance of head coach Dustin Mullins. Conditioning continues Mondays through Fridays from 5-7 p.m.
Mullins, who was appointed to the head coaching position by the school board in May, said he expects once everyone is on board to have 30-plus players on his squad.
My goal is to establish the varsity first,” he said, with hopes of rebuilding the JV program after that.
For this first season back on the gridiron, Mathews will have a five-game season with only district games, Mullins said.
In the summer of 2022, then-Athletic Director Josh Grein had to make the tough call to pull the plug on Blue Devil football following a practice where only 13 players were in attendance.
The MHS team struggled with numbers the previous season as well. There was no J...