The Dallas County football team did not qualify for the AHSAA playoffs last year, but this year, with young talent and some solid seniors, the Hornets hope to change that.

Though the Hornets are only two practices in, assistant coach Chris Dobbins said the squad has kept it simple until head coach Darryl Burns is healthy.

“It’s been a little bit harder because we don’t have our head coach, because he is the organizer,” said Dobbins. “We are doing as much as what he wants us to do, but until he gets better we want to keep it at a minimum so we don’t do anything that he doesn’t want us to do.”

So far the Hornets have only been going over one play in their two days of practice.

One of the first things you see about this year’s team is the sheer numbers of the Hornets.

More than 70 players have gone out for spring practices.

There are so many players that the Hornets are trying to find proper equipment for all of the players.

“We have literaly ran out of pads to give kids,” Dobbins said. “Some have got pads they had at the house, some have gone to Prattville and bought some, some have gone and asked older brothers and cousins. They equipment that we didn’t have, we are getting.”

The Hornets have a talented group of players that are coming into the school, according to Dobbins.

“This is probably the most talented group of eighth and ninth graders that I have seen in a while and I have been coaching for 15 years,” Dobbins said.

“The senior players have talent too, but the eighth and ninth grade is the group that’s coming in and can be special.”