Dead week means more work for Sprayberry, Kennesaw Mountain players

When the week of 4th of July rolls around, for high school sports teams all over the country, it is time to take a break from team related activities, giving student athletes an opportunity to enjoy time with their family before resuming summer workouts in preparation for the upcoming season.

This past week, players from the Sprayberry Yellow Jackets and Kennesaw Mountain took advantage of time away from their respective teams to get together for some extra work as they worked out together with TDR Training, led by coaches Travis Reddick and Ryan Harris.

“Cleaning up my tools, adding tools to my bag and doing it over and over again consistently every day,” Sprayberry cornerback and Missouri commit, Mark Manfred said on Thursday when asked about taking time off to put in more work. “I’m trying to be the best out. There’s other guys out here working every day, so the more days you stack, the better you’re going to get over a period of time,” Manfred added.

And on the other side of the ball, Sprayberry quarterback, Jaden Duckett said learning to trust in his teammates will be key for him this season and he’s utilizing the summer to work on building up that trust. “The main things has been trusting my guys. Staying in the pocket, knowing that I’ll have protection and throw it down the field to allow my play makers to make plays,” Duckett said.

Back over on the defense, Sprayberry safety, Kealan Jones, who expects himself and his teammates to have impactful seasons this year, emphasized improving his footwork as an area of focus. “Staying patient guarding routes, guarding fast receivers, getting my hips,” Jones said of areas he has been working on this summer.

And while Sprayberry sophomore quarterback, DJ Wilson has been locked in on “my arm strength and my accuracy,” to help him with getting the ball out “quick”, for Kennesaw Mountain wide receiver, Kobe Lewis, “I’ve always been vocal, but I feel like my teammates can look at me as a leader,” the 2026 route runner said of stepping up and being an example for his teammates.