After two consecutive appearances in the 3A state playoffs in 2020 and 2021, the 2022 season found the Eagles left with having to replace several senior starters. Combine this with a move to a new 3A-4 conference that is extremely competitive and features road games in excess of two hours from Paris, the football program endured a long, tough season last fall.
The grueling schedule and lack of depth resulted in several injuries throughout the season. Several players played each week with injuries making each Friday a gut check for the Paris players.
But, hope springs eternal, and spring football practice is a new beginning with a renewed focus and set of team goals for the 2023 season. On a positive note, the program played several young players last year and will insert more players from a successful junior team from a year ago. It will still be an uphill battle for Paris, but the trend is heading in a positive direction with more numbers on the varsity this coming season, along with a talented class of junior high players that most agree is the future of the program over the next four to five years.
Paris head football coach Jeff Weaver will begin his third season at the helm of the Eagles football program. His first year was 2021 when he guided the program to the second round of the state playoffs. Last year was a year that everyone saw coming, and Coach Weaver was left with a team that was down on numbers and talent from the graduation of the 2021 team. And as spring practice begins this month, Weaver will be looking to not only develop talent for his current team, but also furthering the development of his younger talent that will play in the future for Paris.
RNN Sports attended practice on Tuesday, and the increased numbers and talent were evident in comparison to last year’s roster. The team is still young and relatively inexperienced, and in the words of Coach Weaver, no one in the conference is going to feel sorry for them next season. The Eagles have a lot of work to do before they kickoff the season, and that work will resume this week and next before the program moves into the summer phase of workouts that will include football camps and preseason practice.
Stay with RNN Sports as we bring you coverage of the Eagles’ preseason preparation for the 2023 season!
