When an old friend reached out for help, Kenneth Griffin was more than happy to oblige.

Griffin and Albert Jackson, the athletics director at Dawson Street Christian School, were teammates in college, and they’ve remained close over the years.

With the departure of last year’s coach, Kevin Waters, Dawson Street needed someone to take over the football program, and Jackson asked Griffin if he’d be interested.

Griffin said yes, and for the past few weeks, he’s been getting to know his new players in preparapreparation for the season opener next week against Heritage.

“We’re just trying to put things in,” Griffin said. “The numbers are low, so they’ll have to go both ways. We’re just trying to be ready (for the opener).”

The team has been practicing for about two weeks, and Griffin said he’s still trying to learn everyone’s name.

What he has seen is a willingness on the players’ part to do the work.

“They want to work hard,” he said.

And if that’s the case, he said “every day, you should get a little bit better.”

There are a few veterans in the fold, but the Wildcats will be a young team, with most of the key players stepping into the starting lineup for the first time.

“We’re young. We’re just trying to put it together right now,” Griffin said.

A priority at the moment, Griffin said, is making sure everyone is where they need to be from an academic standpoint.

“Right now, we’re trying to make sure everybody’s getting set in school,” he said. “We feel that education’s going to come first.”