KICKOFF COUNTDOWN: O'Neal finds hope in arrival at Park Crossing

Running back Jaden Cunningham is one of the key players that could help Park Crossing end it’s 22-game losing streak this season. (File Photo)

By TIM GAYLE

L.A. O’Neal grew up in a state-championship program in Reeltown, won as a head coach in previous stints and has created a reputation for rebuilding programs.

But now at Park Crossing, is he biting off more than he can chew?

The Thunderbirds have struggled as a program going back to 2018, the last season it finished above .500. The team is currently dealing with a 22-game losing streak and has won just five games in five seasons.

But O’Neal, who arrives from a two-year stint at Tallassee High School, isn’t concerned about the past.

“When we looked under the hood and saw what was there, they’ve got really good size, the kids show flashes of really good speed and athleticism and then just couldn’t put it all together,” he said. “So when we looked at it from a scheme standpoint, we said we can change that with a little bit of discipline. That’s all it takes -- build the mindset of doing your job and not trying to do too much.

“I’m seeing flashes of what we can be, but you never know until you put those pads on and those proverbial bullets get to flying.”

There are plenty of reasons behind the program’s stumbles. A constant change in coaching staff hasn’t helped. O’Neal is the seventh coach since 2018. Team chemistry has been lacking.

“Last year, the players really didn’t execute,” said senior receiver Jayden Hollis. “We really didn’t combine together and contribute as a team. This year, Coach O’Neal came in and everybody contributed, everybody listened, everybody wanted to win.”

The players seem to understand the challenge in front of them.

“We’ve looked good, we just needed to work some more,” Hollis said. “Everybody just needs to keep working until the week of the first game. We’re ready, we’ve just got more to work on.”

There’s a lot more to work on, but O’Neal has been encouraged by what he has seen this summer.

“We’re taking it one game at a time, one play at a time, one practice at a time,” he said. “At the end of each practice, we chalk it up to we won this day or we lost this day. We’ve chalked more wins than losses this summer and we’re getting more consistent.”

Getting that winning feeling back will be the first step and the Thunderbirds open at Woodlawn and play a home opener against Murphy before taking on region favorites Benjamin Russell and Pike Road in back-to-back weeks.

“We’ve got a new coach so we want to make sure everything is tops among his priorities to win games,” senior athlete Kyle Bell said. “We want to make him proud by winning games. A lot of times last year we weren’t really focused on the games, we were focused on a lot of other things. Our top priority this year is to finish strong and win games.”