Kyle Parmley
Vestavia Hills Football
Vestavia Hills head coach Buddy Anderson with Tucker Queen, left, and Patrick Nuss, right, at the Jefferson-Shelby Media Days on July 25, 2016, at Gardendale Civic Center.
Buddy Anderson will kick off his 39th season as head coach of the Vestavia Hills football program this fall, and he had his chance to preview the slate at Monday’s Jefferson-Shelby Media Days at the Gardendale Civic Center.
He preempted any questions with an answer to his own question: how long will he keep coaching?
“My answer is what I tell everybody. I’m closer to the end than I am the beginning,” he said.
Anderson was joined by a pair of seniors in offensive lineman Patrick Nuss and cornerback Tucker Queen.
Both sides of the ball have several starters to replace, and Nuss and Queen are two guys that the Rebels will look to lead the team into the new season.
“They have to set the tempo and the pace, because they’re expected to be leaders,” Anderson said. “And they’ve done a great job taking on that leadership role.”
Nuss is the only starter returning on the offensive line, and he is attempting to spearhead to operation of helping the new line to gel as a unit.
“There are a lot of guys that are starting to step up. They’re doing what they need to,” he said
Queen sees much of the same thing on defense.
“We just have to get the chemistry going. Get on the same page and I think we’re going to do well,” he said.
Anderson sees the inexperience as the biggest hurdle for the 2016 version of the Rebels. He said, “But the only way you get experience is to play.”
Coleman Pettway will take over as Vestavia’s quarterback this season, and the offense will turn to the option more to suit his strengths. Anderson likes how the option challenges opposing defenses.
“The biggest thing is it makes people play assignment football. You can’t just load the box. If you don’t play assignment football, you’re going to get burned,” Anderson said.