As the cross country team tosses a frisbee and the wind shrugs the flags on the goal posts to the kicker’s right, a muted thump is heard. One look and it’s obvious: the kick is good. This is one of the

final practices before the varsity football team will take the bus to Timberland High School for their late-season matchup with the Timberwolves, but the atmosphere is surprisingly calm.

“Their record is 2-4,” head coach Brandon Gregory said, “but they’re better than 2-4. Their offensive line is good; their linebackers are good; their defensive line is good. Their better than their record shows.”

This is Gregory’s fourth year at the helm of the Knights’ football team, and they’ve better each year under his direction. From being winless in 2012, their record has improved to 3-7 the next year and 4-7 last year with the team’s first playoff win in more than 10 years. Through six games this season, FHN is sitting at an even 3-3 with a tie for second place in the GAC South with FZW, whom the Knights will play next week.

“We haven’t had a better start since 2009,” Gregory said. “Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going. We’ve been starting off slow in games, waiting until the second half or second quarter to get going. We’ve been preaching starting off quick.”

The Knights have had to overcome some adversity this season to reach their first .500 record in six years. Starting quarterback Connor Gallagher will still be out of the lineup this week, leaving the field general duties to freshman Aiden McDaniel. The freshman is excited to start but wary of the challenges of facing such a big, physical team in Timberland.

“It’s exciting,” McDaniel said of the opportunity to start, “but it’s also very nerveracking playing with guys four years older than me, but it’s a team sport. They do what’s best for the team. It doesn’t matter about age… They [Timberland] are going to come out strong. They’re big and fast. We need support [from fans].”

The common theme in the Knights’ practicing has been to simulate the pressure that the Timberwolves are going to bring up the middle to pressure the quarterback and attempt to stuff the Knights’ impressive run game. They’ve been running full-contact and full-pad drills to get the players used to the physicality they are going to have to face this weekend.

“We’re trying to simulate what they do so it’s not new to our guys,” Gregory said. “They have a better pass rush. We’ve learned to put our offense in position based on the defensive formation.”

While the coaches have been looking at the tape to figure out Timberland’s defensive tendencies, they’ve also been sternly and composedly leading their team toward what they feel is the best plan of attack this weekend, and that includes bolstering their secondary and offensive line while motivating their team with the prospect of their first winning season since 2005.

“The best thing to do is to win out and get the fourth seed instead of the fifth seed in Districts and get home-field advantage,” Gregory said. “We keep telling our guys to keep going. We’ve done well, but waking up Saturday 4-3 would be a whole lot better.”