Extra Point Previews: Samson Tigers

SAMSON, Ala (WDHN) — Last season was plagued by injury for many high school football teams in Geneva County, and the Samson Tigers were no exception. By the end of the Tigers’ first game of the season, the team had already suffered seven major injuries. That’s going to be a struggle for any team to rebound from, and it showed as the Tigers finished the year 3-7.

“The injuries hurt us really bad because of the size of school we were playing in 2A,” said head coach Jason Wambles. “When we lose seven guys, we really lose like 10 or 12 because some of them play both ways.”

However, there was reason for hope, as a handful of those players returned for the second half of the season, and the Tigers went 3-2 down the stretch.

“You know, if we can stay away from the injury bug, I feel good about how things could go this year,” said Coach Wambles. “Obviously, we always want to put a good product on the field.”

Now it’s time to carry that momentum into 2024, and it starts at the quarterback position with Chase Ray. The 6’3″, 220-pound gunslinger already has D1 interest heading into his senior year, and Coach Wambles expects him to grow even more in his senior season.

“He works extremely hard, he’s a good kid, he’s got good grades, he’s going to do well,” said Coach Wambles. “And again, he can sling it. When you see him throw, it’s like, OK, he’s the real deal.”

JT Yarbrough, Gabe Soto, Ben McKenzie, and Trey Johnson are all other names to look for having an impact on this team in 2024, but overall this team is considerably young, which could make things challenging in such a highly competitive 2A Region 2.

“We expect to compete,” said Coach Wambles. “You know, as far as wins and losses, it’s hard to predict those things, but I expect us to compete and have opportunities. Obviously, we get three region teams right out the gate that are predicted to be really good. So, you know, we’ll find out really quick where we’re at.”

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