Gainesville big on "heart set and mindset" as they get set to kick off 2024 season
The Gainesville Red Elephants are two weeks away from kicking off their season when they take on the Marietta Blue Devils on August 16 and on Friday suiting up for their first taste of facing another opponent when they traveled to Powder Springs to scrimmage against the McEachern Indians.
“It’s always a good to see your guys get an opportunity, to God be the glory, just to have a chance to compete,” Gainesville head coach, Josh Niblett said of finally seeing his players being able to line up against someone other than themselves, which they had done all throughout the summer.
“Just having an opportunity to go against somebody different in a game type atmosphere with all the situations you get to work. You know, we’ll watch the film, we’ll make evaluations, we’ll figure out where we have to get better, but proud of our guys,” Niblett said of his players’ overall performance on Friday. “We’re a work in progress, we’re supposed to be right now,” Niblett added.
And as for the action on the field the Elephants defense set an early tone forcing a McEachern turnover on the first play from scrimmage and would end the first quarter with three total turnovers, two forced fumbles and an interception. “Being to create negative plays, create turnovers, we were able to do that tonight,” Niblett said as he praised the Gainesville defense, which would end the night with four total takeaways.
As Niblett, who is entering into his third season as the Red Elephants head coach, continued to share his thoughts on how his team executed their all-around game plan for the night, he noted that he also believes that “heart set and mindset” are also vital to the success his players can have on the field.
“It’s just us growing a mind and we’re growing accountability because everybody’s different, every group is different, you have new guys, you’ve got some guys that’ve been here, but you’re always trying to grow experience and grow depth and that’s what we’re trying to do in our program, is develop players,” Niblett said.
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