The Clements Colts’ head coach Michael Parker is thankful for the seniors who took over leadership roles and gave it their all on the field, even if the season did not go exactly the way they wanted.

“The season did not go how we planned or how we expected it to go,” Parker said. “Overall, the kids played hard. We did not execute real well sometimes and did not do the things we needed to do to overcome ourselves. You know, just have some drives going and shoot ourselves in the foot…have some touchdowns called back, things like that which really hurt us throughout the year.”

However, all is not lost with the Clements Colts, as Parker is only losing 6 seniors, meaning many key players will be returning.

While they were certainly miss the senior leadership, it will be up to the new guard of seniors to fill in that role after this group’s departure.

“I guess the good part about it is I am only losing five seniors that played for us (with a 6th suffering an injury before the season started). The core group is coming back – the offensive line is all juniors, so they will be back next year for their senior year. I think that will be the strength next year. It was at times this year. At times, I felt we could have played better. That core group is going to have to lead us in every game,” Parker said.

Parker also recognizes the huge impact certain seniors have had on the development of this team for the future, such as QB Brady Moore.

“Losing Brady Moore at quarterback is going to hurt us a lot. We are going to have to replace that,” Parker said. “Brady is a football head. I mean, he has a lot of knowledge. He’s another coach on the field for me. I hate that he hasn’t received the accolades that he deserves right now. Maybe that will come in the future. Right now, I feel like he is underrated and hasn’t received a whole lot of accolades as far as what he deserves. He led us, and I could not have asked for anything more than what he did for us.”

According to Parker, Clements has not skipped a beat despite the season not going their way, and Parker’s belief they may not be receiving the recognition they deserve.

They have hit the weight room immediately, are putting their past goals behind them and are moving on to their future goals.

“I feel good about it,” Parker said. “The kids rolled right back into the weight room once the season was over, so the work ethic is there. We have, as a total group, we have to understand football better. They don’t mind working, doing things I am asking them to do. I have to stress that more, studying the game. All this is not on them; a lot of it is on me, not stressing the small things. I have to do a better job in that area. That is something I am going to work on this offseason. I am looking forward to working with them to try to improve the product we put on the field on Friday night next fall.”

Clements finished the year 2-8, with their two wins coming against Holly Pond in the first game of the season and the first matchup in the history of the two schools, according to Parker.

The second win came against 3A and Limestone County foe in the Elkmont Red Devils, a game where Clements would pull away near the end of the third quarter and would continue to pull away in the fourth.

Clements went 1-1 in county rivalry games, with their win over Elkmont but a loss to West Limestone in the second game of the season.

Parker is one of the longest-tenured coaches in Limestone County Schools, right up there with Shelby Davis (West) and Oscar Bonds (Tanner).