Eastside is picked to be tops

Eastside #20-10 feature 01, a photo by Neikirk Image on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
It could be more of the same this year in the Cumberland District, but the league will have a new look.

Coeburn and St. Paul high schools combined to form Eastside, one of three new Wise County schools created through consolidation.

Matt Hamilton, who guided Coeburn last season, is the new coach at Eastside and likes what he has to work with. The Spartans were picked to win the Cumberland in the preseason coaches’ poll.

Many of Eastside’s key players were on the Coeburn squad that made that playoff push a year ago.

“I think it was a great springboard into this season,” Hamilton said. “It showed more in the offseason with the work ethic. We kept 30, 35 kids in the weight room all spring and summer. I think it was definitely a springboard for us. Just the confidence they can win. Those kids went through a few years where they confidence wasn’t high.”