MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – It was a tough go for William Blount last season. The Governors were winless in 2022, finishing with an 0-10 record.

However, Head Coach Robert Reeves believes the past is in the past. The Govs are ready to move on with a much more experienced lineup.

“I only had seven seniors last year,” said Reeves. “They were all awesome. They did everything we asked, but our kids went through the fire last year, and when I say fire, I mean fire.”

William Blount averaged just 10 points per game while giving up over 45 points per contest last season.

“We had four or five sophomores starting on our defense last year in 6A football,” said Reeves. “That’s rough. So now they’ve grown up and are in the weight room. We’ve got more seniors out this year. We’ve got 21 seniors this year. That’s all changing so that’s really helped us a lot.”

“A lot of the same faces are around and they’ll be able to help the new kids,” said senior Holden Garrett. “All the experience with them is just really good and we all have a good bond.”

William Blount opens up the season Friday against Austin-East at 7 p.m.