 In the face of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the defending Class 3A champions, the Belfrey Pirates, are gearing up for a different football season. The longest time we thought we was gonna get to play and now that we have a chance to play is just you know it's a big opportunity. Members of the team said they had to make many adjustments to have the opportunity to play this season in light of the pandemic. Normally in the late room like when we would have our summer workouts you'd put everybody in there that would want to be there. You didn't have these groups split up, you got to be with your group of guys and you got to be with your work ethic and you see the people that you want to like be beside you and you get to work out with them and then now it's like you're split up so you don't know how these other people work and you can't push these other people the way they need to be pushed or the way you want it or like people that push you can't be pushed and it's just been bro like I mean sometimes like right now we'd probably still I mean we'd be in what is it like August 27th today I mean we'd be like two or three weeks into this regular season right now. On the field the Pirates have many seniors to replace from last year's state championship team but head football coach Phillip Haywood has a positive outlook on this year. We've lost some really good people but we feel like we've got good people coming back and we've got good young players so it'll take us a while obviously and we'll stumble and fall a couple times along the way but we feel like by the end of the year we can be competitive. Belfrey will open the season against Pulaski County at home on September 11th with Mountain Top Sports. I'm Cody Davis.