Blount ready for debut with Hancock Central

Marleau Blount knew there would be a transition period as he took over as the football head coach at Hancock Central, but it was easier than people might expect.

But being on the staff certainly helped Blount as he moved from offensive coordinator to the head coaching spot this offseason and took over for Zachary Harris, who served as the Bulldogs’ head coach for eight seasons. Blount makes his debut as the Bulldogs’ head coach Friday at Baldwin.

“There was very little transition, to be honest with you, because I was on the staff, and that has helped,” Blount said. “Even when there were some changes, the kids were anticipating that and knew it was coming with the process of the coaching search. The players knew me and were rooting for me, so that was a big thing for me and our team to get ready for this season.”

Blount served as the head coach at Warren County for two seasons, going 4-7 in 2009 and 7-4 in 2010. The Bulldogs have gone 4-6 in each of the past three seasons.

“Everyone’s pretty excited, but it’s nerve-wracking,” Blount said of the season opener. “It’s somewhat of a rivalry with Baldwin, even though they’re bigger than us. It’s a great measuring stick for our season, but of course, we are going there to try to win.”

Baldwin has won seven of the previous eight meetings with Hancock Central, including the past two seasons. Head coach Lee Hannah is entering his third season with the program after going 7-5 season in 2014 and 4-6 last year.

“We’ve got a lot to work on, but we have time to fix those things,” Hannah said. “We just want to go out there and compete and have fun and let the chips fall where they will. Our guys have worked hard to get back to the winning ways.”

Hannah said his biggest concern is his offensive line, which does feature two seniors in Willie Williams and Kenneth Smith. But the rest of the unit is made up of freshman Caleb Boone and sophomores Miles Longino and Antavious Vasser, and they haven’t started a varsity game yet.

“You can be Nick Saban, but if you don’t have an offensive line, you’re don’t have a team,” Hannah said with a laugh.

This story was originally published August 15, 2016 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Blount ready for debut with Hancock Central."