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Summer tackling gearing up
Hurricanes
Hurricanes coach James Sharp (far left) and Michael “Ice” Jones (far right) stand with last year’s Hurricane squad. Many players are hoping to return this season for a summer of football. The Hurricanes are hoping to finalize the plans making the football field at the LCRD their home base. - photo by Photo provided / Coastal Courier
Die-hard football fans don’t have to wait until August to get their fix. The Hinesville Hurricanes are preparing to gear up for their summer league.
A player planning meeting is set for 1 p.m. on March 8 at the National Guard Armory on Highway 84 in Hinesville. All returning players and potential players looking to join the team should attend.
Registration costs $125 per player and players are asked to pay at least half if not all at the meeting.
A big change this year is the season will start earlier than last year. The first of 12 regular-season games is scheduled for June 7.
The final schedule will be announced after March 15. Tentatively there are also two pre-season games scheduled for May 3 and May 10, against the Darlington Blitz. However, Coach James Sharp said he is also working to bring in teams from Jacksonville, South Carolina and Waycross to Fort Stewart for a Jamboree on May 3.
Another huge difference this year is that the Hurricanes will be minus their number one fan and team mother, Mary-Jo Sharp, who died in December after battling a long-term illness.
Since coach Sharp took reins of the team, Mary-Jo was at almost every game and practice, providing the cheering squad and hugs after hard losses. She wrote messages of support and comfort on the team’s Web site and will be missed by all the Hurricane family members.
“We are planning on dedicating the first game of the regular schedule (June 7) to her,” Sharp said.
The Hurricanes are hoping the community will come out to support them as well. Sharp is working on finalizing plans making the football field at the Liberty County Recreation Department their home field for the season.
Watch for the full “Storm” season schedule of the Hinesville Hurricanes soon.

About the hurricanes
Lamar and Sheri Hall founded the Hinesville Hurricanes in 1999, with the intention of providing the Hinesville area sports entertainment with amateur, adult, full-contact football. It continues today under James Sharp. Sharp added another primary goal, which was to provide positive role models for the youth of Liberty County and to contribute to the community at large through community service.
The Hurricanes have assisted each year at the annual Punt, Kick and Pass contest on Fort Stewart.
Minor league football has been around for more than 100 years and provides an outlet for former high school, college and professional players. It also provides fans an opportunity to watch games on Saturday’s during the NFL’s off-season. Today there are more than 400 minor league teams in 50 leagues across the U.S. and almost 1,000 teams worldwide. The Hurricanes are part of the South Eastern American Football League (SEAFL).
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