MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Wrapping up WKRG’s “33 Teams in 33 Days” spring special is the St. Luke’s Wildcats.
WKRG sports director Simone Eli and weekend sports anchor Gerhard Mathangani provide an inside look into the Wildcats, who are looking for a deep playoff run after an early exit last season.
St. Luke’s went 3-2 in Class 2A, Region 1 earning a postseason berth as the third seed. The Wildcats fell to G.W. Long in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the early exit, it was a bounce back year after going 1-9 two seasons ago.
Head coach Ronn Lee enters his ninth season at the helm.
“I think it’s easy when you enjoy it,” said Lee. “For a very long time I’ve had the privilege of putting a whistle on and coaching guys, and these are some of the best guys I’ve been around.”
Lee tells WKRG he’s confident his young team can take another step forward. He explained why he did not hold a traditional spring practice.
“All of our spring sports were doing really well as far as postseason play,” said Lee. “We share a locker room with the soccer team, of course they wound up number two in the state, which we are extremely proud of.”
Lee says they did not want to “take anything away from that program”
“Our athletes here play every sport they possibly can, so it affected our spring decision, but I think it affected it in a positive way,” added Lee.
The Wildcats will get to start Fall practice a week earlier as a result.
“What we hope is come August, those guys will be ready to go,” said Lee.
2022 Record (notable wins, losses):
- 4-7
- 27-0 win vs. Washington County
- 26-0 win vs. Francis Marion
Key Players:
- Ethan Watts, LB/RB
- Connor Moseley, OL/DL
- B.J. Cooks, WR/DB
- Javonte Nickles, WR/DL
All four players above serve as versatile, experienced players for the Wildcats and are hungry to make a big impact for this Fall.
“I have a lot of trust in our younger guys knowing what they are capable of,” said Watts. “Whether they are freshmen or seniors, I would take our freshman over any team that we are gonna play against.”
Watts says the team’s goal is to “always be first.”
“I think we’re hungry,” said Moseley. “Losing to G.W. Long kind of hurt everybody. Seeing the seniors like that, it kind of made me mad.”
“Coach Lee prepares us better than anybody possible with conditioning, getting in the weight room and he does a great job at getting us ready for games,” said Watts. “It’s challenging at the start of the season, but what coach puts you through perfectly gets you ready.”
Key Matchups:
- vs. Chickasaw — September 8
- @ Leroy — September 29
Link for full schedule.
Wrap Up:
Thank you for following throughout the last five weeks as WKRG highlights 33 high school teams in Mobile and Baldwin Counties. Simone Eli and Gerhard Mathangani will continue to highlight local sports and Friday Night Football Fever is just a few months away.
