HSFT Stop #45: Lamar County (Vernon)
Lamar County football went through a transition year in 2025 as head coach Justin Lann took over the program.
The Bulldogs went 3-7 but learned valuable lessons along the way. Now, Lann and his seniors are attacking this summer with a different mindset, knowing what it takes to be prepared for each week of the season.
“We learned the preparation to the games a little different from the head coach side as far as the things you’ve got to do and how to prepare and how to motivate this kid compared to this kid, and then how to structure the practices a little better,” Lann said. “We got a few extra coaches that we got to add throughout the season, and so divvying up the responsibilities instead of trying to micromanage everything, that’s certainly helped a lot.”
Lamar County tight end Chris Peacock says the Bulldogs believe they can take a big step forward this season.
“So we’re really hoping that we can just come in here and show everyone what this team’s about,” Peacock said. “Like I said last year, it’s going to take a while, but I know that we can do it. We can at least have a 7-3 season this year and hopefully make a following playoff run.”
The upperclassmen have taken on a bigger leadership role, and the team believes that extra motivation during the hot summer months will lead to more success on the field.
“The leadership group’s outstanding,” Lann said. “They do a really good job as far as our weight room is concerned. Leadership out here, the roles that they’ve placed out here, it’s outstanding that they get after the kids in a positive way a lot better than they did in years past. And the younger kids are responding to them, which helps tremendously.”
Lamar County running back Catcher Duncan says his role is to keep his teammates focused and make sure everyone is doing their job.
“I like to calm people down when it’s not going right and just making sure everybody’s consistent within their alignments and assignments,” Duncan said. “We know the offense, we’re learning the defense and it’s going along really well. And we know if we do our job, we’ll be really, really good.”
The program has bought into the motto of being tough. They believe it goes beyond just playing the game of football and will be a lesson the players take with them long after their high school playing days are over.
“Not just in a football stance, but when you go into the future, life gets rough, life is tough,” Peacock said. “So you have to be a tough man to get through that. And football helps a lot with that. You take away you’ve got to get back up. It’s strange that you sometimes go and take it. So being a tough man is what this is all about.”
For Lann, that toughness is about preparing his players for life beyond football.
“Tough is what happens to him in 10 years. Tough, not necessarily what happens to him daily, but tough is what happens to him in 10 years when they become adults and great men,” Lann said. “And so we prepare football players, but we’re looking to establish great men as well. And so tough will be what happens to them in 10 years if they’re able to manage life.”
Through the tough summer days, the team is starting to come together. Lann sees the growth his team has already achieved but believes there is still room for improvement before Week 1.
“Seeing a lot of growth out of the guys offensively and defensively to where we had a base offense last year that we can run a base set of plays now,” Lann said. “We’ve been able to open it up a little better and we’ve added things that’s going to benefit us come season time. Defensively, we’ve seen a lot of growth and we’re still going to play a lot of young kids defensively. But we’ve been teaching a sense of urgency, so learning the things each day so that we can add to it today. And the young kids extremely pick that up really well.”
Lamar County will begin its season Aug. 21 against South Lamar, with the Bulldogs looking to turn the lessons of last season into progress on the field.
