Strait Herron is no stranger to the emotional rollercoaster which is the high school football season, the Kings Mountain coach experiencing his share of highs and lows in more than three decades of coaching.

During the 2025 season, at least in its early junctures, the veteran head man also finds himself trying to manage something else: growing pains.

“We have so many who are (sophomores) playing on varsity; you can basically say they are ninth-graders at this point,” Herron said. “While it comes with its share of headaches, it can also be a good thing as experience is the best teacher.”

It hasn’t always been pretty, but the young Mountaineers have kept their boat afloat en route to a 2-0 start, knocking off Cleveland County rivals Shelby and Burns in back-to-back weeks.

“It’s hard to a

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