First-time head coach Tyler Lavergne is looking to rejuvenate the Vinton Lion program.

The Lions opened the 2022 season with a Week 2 win over Merryville before getting slammed with injuries to key players and struggling to finish the season with enough players just to keep playing.

Lavergne hopes to not only increase the roster size but build back the community interest.

“We are planning on getting an interest back into the football program, within the community and within our school,” Lavergne said. “We had a great spring and a great summer with a good turnout.

“We finished the season last year with 18 players dressed out. Over the spring and summer, we have had a good 35-36 kids come out and start to participate in football. It is a good thing. We are starting to get some excitement back in the program. Anytime you get a new coach and change things up, kids get excited again. That is our goal moving forward, to do it with that momentum and continue to build a great football program back in Vinton. Vinton has had a long history of very successful football through these halls and outstanding athletes. It is our job to get that momentum and culture back.”

With just five seniors, the Lions will need to create depth and avoid injuries.

“The depth chart is always going to be a struggle whenever you are working at a 2A program with a tough pre-district schedule playing these big schools,” Lavergne said. “It can be a great thing and it can be a bad thing.

“It can be a great thing that it gets us ready and prepared for district. It can be a bad thing if we have some key guys that go down just like last year. It could be hard to get through that district and compete at a high level. Injuries played a big mountain for us last season.

“We had some key injuries at a hard time going into district. It was really tough and it killed all of our momentum. We are looking to change that by doing a lot of offseason and in-season lifts for injury prevention to keep these guys healthy going into the last round of the season and into the postseason.”

With a young team, Lavergne doesn’t want to make things complicated.

“We are just going to a very simple approach,” Lavergne said. “We are keeping everything simple.

“That way it allows us to be a little deep in the depth chart where we can give some guys some breaks if need be. We want to be very good and very efficient with a small number of plays. We don’t have a very vast playbook. We like to keep it simple. It is kind of our motto both offensively and defensively.”

The bulk of the Lions returning players are up front in two-way players Jeramiah Holts, Gabe Riggins, Jordan Rogers and Ricky Favors.

“We have very strong, big linemen,” Lavergne said. “Coming back this year is Jeremiah Holts, who is a great prospect at 6-6 and 260 pounds.

“He is a guy that is hard to get by. He is going to be a senior, we are looking and we are looking for a lot of good leadership to come out of him as well as our two other returning linemen.

“They have had a lot of game-time experience. Being young they got to play a lot given that we didn’t have a big turnout. They are bringing back a lot of experience and leadership.”

Junior wide receiver Landon Harbert is the Lions’ only returning skill player, while sophomore Braylon Beard will start at quarterback.

“I am excited about our young quarterback,” Lavergne said. “We will have Braylon Beard.

“He is just a sophomore and looking to get some game time valuable experience that we will use in the future. Just having him get those meaningful reps, we are looking to build off his success at quarterback.”

Jaidon Briggs returns at strong safety.