(WHNT) — Episode 18 of On the Road with Olivia and Claudia features the Sparkman Senators and Westminster Christian Wildcats.

The Senators finished with a 5-5 record in 2022. First-year head coach Ronnie Watson says he’s noticed a sense of cohesiveness with this year’s group and they’re really coming together as a team which will only help the Senators when competing in a tough Class 7A Region 4.

“We’ve got to take care of the things we can control and execute,” Watson said. “The talent’s there, it’s just executing.”

Coach Watson is taking over following LaRon White’s retirement and Watson says Coach White taught him a great deal; he says White helped change the culture of the Sparkman program and now he wants to continue to build on that progress.

“If we can get better tomorrow than we are today – then we’re doing the right thing,” Watson said. “If you’re doing things, respecting the game, you’re aggressive in everything you do, how resilient you are and everything single thing you do you’re doing it as excellent as you possibly can… those are the pillars we’ve been building on during the offseason.”

Up next, let’s check in on the Westminster Christian Wildcats led by head coach Louis LeBlanc. The Wildcats finished with a 6-5 overall record last season with 2022 coming to an end in the first round of the playoffs.

This is LeBlanc’s 8th season at the helm of the Wildcats’ program and he says he’s really excited about this year’s group and is ready to lead them under the Friday night lights.

“This group has really known each other and been together for a long time, so that’s been something that’s been special to see. That unity, that bond just all the extra stuff that goes on during, before or after practice,” LeBlanc said. “It gives you some excitement for what they’re going to do on the field together.”

LeBlanc says this is a group that’s hungry for success, but the expectations are simple; they’re going to take things one day at a time,m and he knows his players are going to fight and put their best foot forward each and every day for each other.

“People may say it’s cliché, but our focus is we want to be better today than we were yesterday and prepare to be better tomorrow than we were today and so we try to live by that,” LeBlanc said. “We don’t ever really talk about region championships or state championships we just talk about what are we doing right now and did we give everything we had today.”

The Senators are hosting Hazel Green to open the season on Friday, August 25, while the Wildcats will take on Lee at Milton Frank Stadium.