Teams to Watch: Jim Ned Indians

When Jim Ned began its offseason program this year, senior Coalby Rives was preparing to line up at several different positions all across the field. Rives, who has been at the varsity level since his freshman year, saw time in the secondary, at running back, wide receiver and even a little quarterback heading into this season. But when the Indians’ starting quarterback transferred before the season, Rives was the next man up as the team’s starter under center. So far, the move has worked out pretty well for coach Jerod Womack. After going 3-7 last season, the Indians are off to a 3-0 start this year. “It’s been a process here for the last three years,” Womack said. “You never anticipate the 3-0 start – you just try to focus on each week but as we started coming together in two-a-days, our seniors did such a good job of really wanting to change the culture. You look up and you’re 3-0 and you’re like, wow, that happened in a hurry.” A lot of that success falls on the shoulder of Rives, who threw for 246 yards and added 81 more on the ground in a dominant 55-16 win over Anson last week. He scored the team’s first and last touchdowns of the game, and has transitioned well into the role of full-time signal caller for Womack. “He’s really the catalyst in the whole deal,” Womack said. “He’s come in and done a great job of doing all the small things when it comes to being a quarterback. But more than anything, he’s a natural leader. “He’s just a competitive kid. He’s a kid that wants to have the ball in his hand. He wants to have the opportunity to go win the game.” So far, Rives has done everything the Indians have needed him to do. But Jim Ned will face its toughest challenge to date this Friday, when the team hosts Sonora – the No. 6 team in Class 3A DII. The Broncos are rolling early in the season behind an absolutely loaded offense, as senior quarterback Kaden Cordell (790 yards, 9 TDs), running back Jarrett Jackson (601 total yards, 8 TDs) and wide receiver Wesley Dutton (377 yards, 4 TDs) bring a lot of challenges to the table. Last year, the Indians were 0-3 heading into the Sonora game before falling to the Broncos 51-14. Jim Ned has a whole lot more momentum this time around in Year 3 of Womack’s system, and is looking to keep that rolling this week. “There’s not really a difference in the way we’re approaching this game,” Womack said. “Obviously, it’s a big game and I think everyone knows there is a playoff atmosphere around it. But you don’t want to make it bigger than it is – we have a district race coming up in three weeks that is the ultimate goal in this deal.” The turnaround this season has been a rapid one, as the Indians have already matched their win total from a year ago. But as the season goes along, the ultimate goal remains the same – compete for a district championship and have a chance to make a run into the playoffs. “It’s going to be fun to see how this thing plays out,” Womack said. “I feel real good about where we’re at right now. We just have to keep getting better and it could be a very exciting district race this year.”

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