Football begins tonight for the area private schools, and it is almost time for The Tidewater News to change to its Sunday football coverage format. This week, you can look for tonight’s game coverage at www.thetidewaternews.com. With all teams beginning play next week, the TN will move its sports coverage to the Sunday edition and will cover games on deadline every Friday night until the last team is standing.

Dale Marks, head coach of the Southampton Academy football team, always has a lot to say about his team. If you look in today’s paper, you will see the annual football section that previews the 2009 season. The Southampton Academy story written by Will Hart contains quotes from Marks, but there was plenty more that did not get in the story. Here are some more notes from Marks about the 2009 season:

“Cass Camp is heading up the defense this year. He’s brought a lot of enthusiasm to the team this year and really gets the players pumped up. I think that’ll be a change for us and we will be a little more fiery on defense,” Marks said.

“The big key for us last year was putting the ball on the ground. We put the ball on the ground too many times and the times that we do turn it over by putting it on the ground it costs us yards and downs,” Marks said. “That’s a point of emphasis this year and hopefully we’ll be better as far as that’s concerned.”

The Chowan University men’s soccer program had an interesting change a few weeks ago. Head coach Ken Miller quit the program the first day of practice and took a job as the head coach of the women’s program at Mars Hill College. The new head coach, Matt Phelps, comes to Chowan by way of California and has an extensive playing and coaching background. The Hawks have had little success the last few years. The team opens its 2009 schedule today at 5 p.m. at home against Carson-Newman College. Alfred Wilson, a sophomore and graduate of Windsor High School, is on the roster.

Speaking of Chowan, there are several local players on the Hawks’ football roster, including Antonio Britt and Travon Britt of Franklin High School and Eric Benton of Southampton High School, who will be a starter. Eboney Joyner, a graduate of FHS, is on the volleyball roster at Chowan. Josh Bryant, also a graduate of FHS, is listed on the Chowan golf roster.