LOXLEY, Alabama - Daphne coach Glenn Vickery touched on effort versus expectations, Daphne without four-year starter T.J. Yeldon now at Alabama, the new region schedule and playing new neighbor and rival Spanish Fort for the first time in football.

“ Our basic expectations for ourselves are to play hard and play at a high level. That is, give it your best effort every time whether it’s practice or however high level a game it might be. Just give your all. That’s what we try to instill in all our kids.

Vickery said losing last year’s Mr. Football and current Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon was tough, but something Daphne was prepared to deal with.

“You don’t replace a T. J. Yeldon, but you do what you have to. He was a special player for us, but he is a special person, too. So, we don’t have a T.J. Yeldon anymore, but we do have a T. J. Fleeton. T. J. (Fleeton) started at quarterback for us last year and did a great job for us. We won the Hoover 7-on-7 last year and he was a big reason for that. And he has good receivers like Chris Sain and Jonathan (McGaster) coming back. At running back, I think Josh Johnson and Ronnie Davis will be a big help to T. J. (Fleeton). Josh and Ronnie have different styles from T.J. (Yeldon) but they work hard and that’s what we want.

“And we have Ashton (McQuitery) back up front (offensive line) who has always done a good job for us and will be a leader on and off the field.”

After opening at Spanish Fort, Daphne starts its 6A Region race for the playoffs with another, slightly longer road trip to Bay Minette to face Baldwin County High.

“Expectations are high for the region,” Vickery said. “We set them high for ourselves and we know all our region opponents set high standards for themselves, too. We have a lot of respect for coach (Bobby) Moore and his players and coaches. His teams are always well prepared and well coached. And always play hard at home, but we are going to do our best to be ready. The Spanish Fort game will tell us a lot about that — about where we are versus where we want to be.”

Teams from the “wiregrass” region will join Daphne and Baldwin County teams in 6A Region 2 this season. Northview-Dothan and Enterprise will be home games at Jubilee Stadium while Dothan will be away this year.

“Some people are not happy about that many long drives for away games, but we don’t have a choice. Besides, I look for the positives in things when I can and I see the road trips to those games (region games in Dothan, Northview and Enterprise) as chances to condition the kids to the types of road trips we hope to have to take in the playoffs.”

Some key DHS players to look for this year are offensive linemen Ashton McQuitery and Robert Alexander, wide receivers Chris Sain, Jonathan McGaster and Horace Johnson. On defense, defensive backs Trey Jenkins and Trey Rembert, line backer Jalan Coleman and defensive lineman Duquan Able.