Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes 2023 football season preview

FITZGERALD, Ga. (WALB) - The biggest challenge this year is to forget about those last three that you just mentioned and just earn it every day. We got to go to work, we got to get better. It’s early in the season, we got a lot of things we need to correct. It’s just a one day at a time, be where you’re at, play this week this day. Don’t get caught looking ahead, and just understand we’re going to get what we earn, and we have got to earn it every.

Fitzgerald is coming off a state championship run, making it their third consecutive trip. Their last title came back in 2021 when they took down the Thomasville bulldogs to win the state championships.A new year and the purple hurricanes are gearing up for another chance at some shiny new jewelry. It’ll take some new faces to get them there. After last season, they lost their entire offensive line. Even so, head coach Tucker Pruitt is ready for his new guys to rise to the challenge.

“Well, we’ve got four or five guys that have stepped up, they’ve had good offseason. We’ve only had one week in pads, we’ve only had one scrimmage. There is still a lot of evaluation going on. Our guys have worked hard, they know what to do. There about getting better each and every day and so hopefully we’ll have some guys continue to step up as we move forward.”

The Purple Hurricanes spent the summer getting both their new and returning guys adjusted to the expectations and physicality level at Fitzgerald, something that has to be taught.

“It’s like everything else, you know lining up and throwing your body into another human being sometimes is don’t come natural and it has to be taught. The more they do it, the better they get at it. They realize it doesn’t hurt, a lot of time the more physical team has an upper hand and that’s what we try to be every Friday night.”

Despite new guys up front, Pruitt had a simple answer if this will change the way they play the game in Fitzgerald.

“No, we’re going to run the football. We’ve been in the weight room, we believe in physicality, we’ve believe in winning the turnover battle, that’s what we do and that’s what we’re going to do.”

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