ALTON - There is a lot of pre-season excitement brewing in the Alton High School Redbirds football camp with a very successful freshman and sophomore group coming up in the ranks.
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Head coach Eric Dickerson appears to be ready to come into his own as a mentor with the team. The Redbirds hired a well-known offensive coordinator/strength coach for high school athletics in the off season in Dave Jacobs.
Jacobs previously coached at Jersey High School and was head football coach last season at Hoopeston Area High School. On the field, Dickerson and Jacobs are carrying a lot of enthusiasm into the ranks on both offense and defense.
Jacobs smiled and said simply when asked about his new position for 2017-2018 school year that it is “good to be home.”
“This is a great opportunity for me to get in the weight room and get around the athletes and help make them stronger,” he said. “The weight facility at Alton High School is first class. I am really excited about being offensive coordinator for the varsity football team. This is a good opportunity for me in a lot of ways and also for me spiritually. I am happier than I have been in a long time being back home.”
Jacobs said the administration at Alton High School is supportive and fantastic.
“We have a top-notch superintendent, principal and athletic director at Alton High School,” he said. “Eric is a top-notch coach and works hard. Things are in place to have success and I am going to be happy to be a part of that.”
Jacobs will focus more of the offense and Dickerson the defense in the game plans, while Dickerson will lead the group overall, Jacobs said.
“Scott Metzler, an offensive line coach at Jersey, is joining us here,” Jacobs said. “He is a great offensive line coach. Our offensive line is getting better and we have a lot of offensive weapons. We have three or four competing for the quarterback position and some good receivers and running backs.”
Alton took some lumps last year in a winless football season, but Jacobs said he believes the team learned a lot in the process about what it takes to be competitive in the Southwestern Conference.
“We have 55-60 players attending practices over the summer,” Jacobs said. “That is a testament to Eric. Eric is doing great things with the players and they are buying into our system. I am so excited about our upcoming season.”
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