Middlesboro wraps up season against Somerset

Published 1:55 pm Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Middlesboro middle school football team wrapped up their season on Saturday against Somerset-Meece. After an undefeated regular season, the Yellow Jackets ran into a brick wall against Somerset-Meece, falling 38-6 in the regional championship. Middlesboro won their conference championship prior to falling to the Briar Jumpers.

Starting quarterback Cayden Grigsby injured his foot before the regional game against Somerset-Meece, however, he was named the Region 4, Division 3 Player of the Year for leading the Yellow Jackets to an undefeated regular season.

Middlesboro coach Charlie Lambert says that he could not be more proud of his team for all of their accomplishments this season.

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“I can’t even begin to explain how proud I am of these guys,” said Lambert. “They had a great season. It doesn’t get much better than going undefeated. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but there is no question that we deserved to be there. We are a good team. These guys have worked hard and did everything we have asked them to do.”

“Being able to coach this team has been an absolute pleasure,” he said. “To say I’m proud is an extreme understatement. I just can’t say enough about how good this group of young men are. They are very hard working, very talented and very coachable.”

With first-year head coach Larry French having success with the Middlesboro High School program this season, Lambert believes that the guys he’s losing are in great hands.

“I hate that I’m losing so many good players for next season, but I know they’re going to be in great hands with coach French,” said Lambert. “They’ve all been watching the high school team this season, and they see how successful they’ve been under coach French. A lot of these guys are chomping at the bit to get to high school and play for him.

“We’ve just been laying the groundwork for the future of Middlesboro football, and it looks bright. This whole area is experiencing an uptick in football success. Football all around the county is doing very well. There’s a lot of talent around here, and I think we have a lot of talent here in Middlesboro. I can’t wait to see what they go on to do in high school. If they stay together and work hard, they’ve got a good chance of bringing home some hardware in the future.”