By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

When the Tigers arrived, they were treated to a meal, and they were greeted by general manager Thomas Dimitroff.

Later in the morning, Troup’s players and coaches met with head coach Dan Quinn, as well as some of the Falcon players.

“They had a tent set up for us with chairs and everything,” Glisson said. “They took us around to the sidelines, and took us up close and personal. And then the players would come over and talk to our players. It was really good.”

For Troup wide receiver Jamari Thrash, it was a thrill being able to watch Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and rookie Calvin Ridley run patters and make catches.

“It was a great life experience, just being out there with Julio, Sanu, and Ridley, just seeing how they train real hard,” said Thrash, who had 18 touchdown catches during a memorable junior season. “They always go balls to the wall. Even in warmup, they go full speed. It really motivated me to go harder in practice.”

Another one of Troup’s senior standouts, defensive end King Mwikuta, said it was a memorable day.

“We met with the general manager, the players, and the head coach, and they were really nice about everything,” Mwikuta said. “Everybody enjoyed it. I loved it. It was fun to watch.”

The 24 seniors are part of a program that has enjoyed a big-time turnaround the past two seasons. The Tigers were 1-9 in 2015, but they’ve won 17 games the past two years, and they appear poised to do some big things this year.

Glisson, who became the head coach in 2015, said the seniors “laid the foundation” for this success.

Glisson was glad he was able to help give the seniors such an enjoyable experience.

“It was really, really nice,” Glisson said. “The recognition is nice. God continues to bless us in so many ways, the level of opportunities we’re able to provide on so many levels.”

Troup will host Northside-Columbus on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a preseason game before opening the regular season on Aug. 24 at Ridgeland.

When the Tigers arrived, they were treated to a meal, and they were greeted by general manager Thomas Dimitroff.

Later in the morning, Troup’s players and coaches met with head coach Dan Quinn, as well as some of the Falcon players.

“They had a tent set up for us with chairs and everything,” Glisson said. “They took us around to the sidelines, and took us up close and personal. And then the players would come over and talk to our players. It was really good.”

For Troup wide receiver Jamari Thrash, it was a thrill being able to watch Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and rookie Calvin Ridley run patters and make catches.

“It was a great life experience, just being out there with Julio, Sanu, and Ridley, just seeing how they train real hard,” said Thrash, who had 18 touchdown catches during a memorable junior season. “They always go balls to the wall. Even in warmup, they go full speed. It really motivated me to go harder in practice.”

Another one of Troup’s senior standouts, defensive end King Mwikuta, said it was a memorable day.

“We met with the general manager, the players, and the head coach, and they were really nice about everything,” Mwikuta said. “Everybody enjoyed it. I loved it. It was fun to watch.”

The 24 seniors are part of a program that has enjoyed a big-time turnaround the past two seasons. The Tigers were 1-9 in 2015, but they’ve won 17 games the past two years, and they appear poised to do some big things this year.

Glisson, who became the head coach in 2015, said the seniors “laid the foundation” for this success.

Glisson was glad he was able to help give the seniors such an enjoyable experience.

“It was really, really nice,” Glisson said. “The recognition is nice. God continues to bless us in so many ways, the level of opportunities we’re able to provide on so many levels.”

Troup will host Northside-Columbus on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a preseason game before opening the regular season on Aug. 24 at Ridgeland.