New coach, new approach for Chipley Tigers

CHIPLEY – new things are happening to the Chipley Tigers as they prepare for the 2008 football season. The most notable change is a new head coach.

Chipley native Lee Holley is no stranger to the area, having enjoyed considerable success coaching at nearby Graceville. He hopes to repeat that success with a different group of Tigers.

“We’re looking forward to the season,” Holley said last week as the Tigers held Media Day. “The young men have really invested a lot of time over the summer to make themselves stronger and faster.”

“We’ve got about 71 kids out right now, with 36 on the varsity, so we have a great number of kids wanting to play football at Chipley High School, and we’re really excited about that.

“We kick it off Aug. 29 at Port St. Joe (Kickoff Classic) and play all the way through to Nov. 14 when we wrap it up at Graceville High School.

Holley is excited about his coaching staff.

“We have nine coaches out here and eight out of the nine coaches are former players and graduates of Chipley High School,” he said.

“We have a lot of pride involved in the leadership aspect of this football team and we’re really going to work hard to give this town something they can be proud of.”

Opening regular season game is Sept. 5 at Philip Rountree Stadium against county rival Vernon.