Gridiron guide 2014

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

GRIDIRON GUIDE

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Washington Pam PackNorthside PanthersSouthside SeahawksOther area teams

East Carolina PiratesAtlantic Coast Conference

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE WASHINGTON DAILY NEWS2014

Football 2014-0_LATEST.indd 1 8/19/14 6:32 PM


10C • Friday, August 22, 2014 Football www.TheWashingtonDailyNews.com

For residential TV customers only. Service availability, equipment needed & prices vary. Subject to change and other restrictions may apply. HDTV and HD set-top box or HD CableCard® required for HD service. All programs not available in HD. ©Suddenlink Communications 2014.

EVERY TOUCHDOWNFROM EVERY GAME SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

Call now for details.1-800-880-5880

• Catch all of your favorite teams LIVE in HD every Sunday afternoon during the season. • See the most exciting plays — as they happen!

• Up-to-the-minute fantasy stats.

• Extended highlights & much more.

• Available on Suddenlink2GO®!

PMS 654 100/67/0/41 1/51/105 0/0/0/100

PMS 186 10/100/100/0 213/10/10 0/0/0/70

COLORS PANTONE

PMS 654 0/0/0/100 0/0/0 0/0/0/100

PMS White

PMS Black

0/0/0/0 255/255/255 0/0/0/0

C/M/Y/K R/G/B GRAY SCALEFile usage Spot printing 4c printing Video B/W printing

Blue

Red

White

Black

PRIMARY

All on one channel with Suddenlink.

CALL FOR A QUOTE 24/7.

P097314.1 State Farm Home Office, Bloomington, IL

When I say “good,” you say “neighbor.”

Now that's teamwork.

Mauri F Evans Ins Agcy IncMauri Evans, Agent521 W 15th StreetWashington, NC 27889Bus: 252-946-5114

By the Associated Press

Here are 10 things to watch while the ACC prepares for another sea-son:

ENTER LOUIS-VILLE, EXIT MARY-LAND: Fast-rising Lou-isville is in the ACC after founding member Mary-land left for the Big Ten.

The Cardinals seem to have the players — and the resources — to re-main competitive during their step-up in competi-tion.

PRODIGAL PETRI-NO: The new coach for the ACC’s newest team isn’t really all that new: Bobby Petrino is back in charge at Louisville. He took a circuitous path that included a messy scandal at Arkansas to lead him back to the Cardinals.

THE GOLDEN DOME: This is the first year of Notre Dame’s scheduling arrange-ment with the ACC. The independent Irish play four games against ACC schools as part of their membership in all other sports the league spon-sors. Notre Dame will play host to North Caro-lina and Louisville, will visit Florida State and

will face Syracuse in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

QB QUESTIONS: Only four schools re-turn their full-time starting quarterbacks from 2013, and only one of those players (Duke’s Anthony Boone) started a game before 2013. The QB with the most career starts? Winston, the red-shirt sophomore who started all 14 games of the Seminoles’ national title run.

CLOUDY COASTAL: The Coastal Division could be a crapshoot. Miami was voted as the preseason favorite even though both defending champ Duke and North Carolina each received more first-place votes than the Hurricanes. “I believe anybody can win it,” Tar Heels coach Lar-ry Fedora said.

MIAMI’S DUKE RE-TURNS: Miami running back Duke Johnson says he’s at 100 percent after breaking his ankle last season against Florida State. Johnson appears to be the league’s top offensive player not named Jameis Winston.

DUKE REDUX? What can Duke do for an en-core? The Blue Devils are coming off the best season in school history — winning 10 games, claiming the Coastal ti-tle, finishing at No. 23 in the AP Top 25 and reach-ing the Chick-fil-A Bowl. ACC Coach of the Year David Cutcliffe says he believes his program is getting stronger.

REALLY SPECIAL TEAMS: ACC teams combined to return 16 kickoffs and punts for touchdowns last season, and North Carolina’s Ryan Switzer tied an

NCAA single-season re-cord with five punt re-turns for scores.

SECOND TIME AROUND: Both Pitts-burgh and Syracuse went 7-6 and reached low-level bowl games in their debut ACC sea-sons. They both want to do more in Year 2. Said Pitt coach Paul Chryst: “As proud as we are to be members of the ACC, our goal and objective is to make an impact on it.”

BIG GAMES: There are a few marquee non-conference games ear-ly in the ACC season. Florida State opens with Oklahoma State in Ir-ving, Texas, while Clem-son heads to Georgia. The following week, Vir-ginia Tech visits Ohio State, and later, South-ern California heads to Boston College and Mi-ami travels to Nebraska.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE



www.TheWashingtonDailyNews.com Football Friday, August 22, 2014 • 11C

Historic Waterfront, Pamlico StreetBelhaven, NC252-943-6100Call before you leave and we’ll put your name on the waiting list.

Your Gathering Place

DowntownBelhaven

www.TavernAtJacks.comSee us on UNCTV NC Weekend

WR CONSISTENCY: Sophomores Bra’Lon Cherry, Jumichael Ramos and Marquez Valdes-Scantling must grow into reliable targets. Doeren said Cher-ry has been the most improved among last year’s young receivers, while Janu-ary enrollee Bo Hines could contribute as a freshman.

MORE DBS: N.C. State will use a 4-2-5 defensive formation as its base scheme this year. Doeren said adding that fifth defensive back will get more speed on the field. “I know we love getting more

DBs on the field,” Tocho said. “We’re looking forward to the switch. We’ve adapted well in practice.”

RUN DEFENSE: Will the Wolfpack be able to stop the run? N.C. State was next-to-last in the ACC in rushing de-fense (180.2 yards per game) but gave up a league-worst 5 yards per carry — a total inflated by Boston College’s Andre Williams running for 339 yards in a 38-21 win. N.C. State allowed a 100-yard rusher in each of its last three games.

FINISHING GAMES: The Wolfpack certainly had chances to avoid that winless ACC record. N.C. State was tied with Syracuse midway through the fourth quarter before yielding two touchdowns. It trailed rival North Carolina 21-19 entering the fourth but couldn’t rally. It led at Duke 20-17 with 6½ minutes left before giving up three touchdowns in 26 seconds. “Our main focus is finishing,” McGill said, “be-cause that’s what we didn’t do last year and that’s what gave us the record we had.”

EARLY CONFIDENCE: N.C. State needs a good start. Doeren’s team opens at home against Georgia South-ern and Old Dominion, then travels to South Florida (2-10 last year) followed by a home game against Presbyterian. Things get tougher from there, start-ing with a visit from reigning national champion Florida State and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston on Sept. 27. There’s also trips to Atlantic Division opponents Clemson, ACC new-comer Louisville and Syracuse in that five-game stretch.

NC STATE WOLFPACK




For more information, contact Daniel Wilson, director of admissions, at 252-940-6233

or visit the BCCC website at www.beaufortccc.edu.

Apply to BCCC Today!If you’re thinking about earning your degree, but you’re concerned about the cost, here’s a money-saving idea...spend the first two years at home and attend Beaufort County Community College. Many BCCC courses will transfer to most public and many private four-year colleges and universities, giving you a solid foundation for your educational success! And, while you’re earning credits toward your degree, you’ll be saving real money!

How to Save ThousandsOn Your College Degree!

www.beaufortccc.eduAn Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action InstitutionFind us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

Beaufort County Community College




First South Bankyoufirst.

1311 Carolina Avenue • 252-946-4178

300 N. Market Street • 252-940-4945

firstsouthnc.com | Member FDIC

we promise to put youfirst.

1328 John Small Ave • 252-940-5000

2999 US Hwy 17 S • 252-940-4970

First South Bankyoufirst.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALLOther Area Teams 3CWashington Pam Pack 4CNorthside Panthers 5CSouthside Seahawks 6CImpact Players 8C

COLLEGE FOOTBALLEast Carolina Pirates 7CAtlantic Coast Conference 10CNC State Wolfpack 11C

GRIDIRON GUIDE

2014




TOUCHDOWN!Ron Buzzeofor County Commissioner

Kids win with Ron!

A first-round pick for Beaufort County Schools.

Cast your vote Tuesday, November 4, 2014.

Paid for by Buzzeo for Commissioner

2013 RECORD: 14-1 (6-0)CONFERENCE: COASTAL TENCOACH: ROBERT CODY

Coming off its second-consecutive state cham-pionship appearance, the Vikings will once again rely on their profound wing-T offense to drive them to the title game. After averaging more than 43-points per game and coming one-point short of an un-defeated season, head coach Robert Cody returns Malik Webb, a dual-threat quarterback who rushed for over 1000 yards last season and starting running back Chad Dance, who notched 1325 yards on the ground. On defense, Plymouth will have to replace seven seniors, including standout linebacker Bryant Wilkins Robinson. With the top-four leading tack-lers gone, seniors like William Hollingsworth and Deandre Keyes will have to step up.

PLYMOUTH

VIKINGS2013 RECORD: 8-5 (5-1)CONFERENCE: TWO RIVERSCOACH: ASIM MCGILL

Fresh off the best season in the Asim McGill era, the Knights return in 2014 without Daniel Everett and Iran James, arguably two of the top football players in the area. With two 800-plus-yard rushers in 2013, Riverside was able to put up more than 30 points per game, including an 80-point performance against Rocky Mount Prep. Both running backs Jeremiah Wilson and Malik Smith return, along with Stephen Allen, who quietly averaged 5.7 yards per carry. On the other side of the ball, the Knights enter the season without five of a team’s top-five tacklers last season and will look to some of their young talent to fill holes.

RIVERSIDE

KNIGHTS2013 RECORD: 1-10 (0-5)CONFERENCE: TWO RIVERSCOACH: GRANTLEY MIZELLE

Being one of the smallest schools in the Two Rivers Conference, South Creek didn’t have much of a talent pool to select from in 2013. Coach Grantley Mizelle will have a daunting task in turning around a five-year old program from irrelevance to, at the very least, medioc-rity. However, the team does return a few key starters. Senior Romalik Parker will likely be the focal point of the offense, while quarterback Brandon Battle should also improve upon his 2013 campaign in his final year. But the offense wasn’t the problem for South Creek last season, it was the defense, which allowed 44 points per game. Kendric Deloatch returns for his senior season after notching 92 tackles during his junior campaign. Under new leadership, the Cougars have the chance to grow as a program and collect a few more wins in 2014.

SOUTH CREEK

COUGARS




WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

PAM PACKNo. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt.1 Eric Peartree TE/DE Sr. 6-2 2102 Trey Spruill RB/ATH Sr. 5-10 1853 Xzavier Clark RB/LB Sr. 5-8 1804 Clinton Pope RB Jr. 5-7 1505 Diavontrei Moore CB Sr. 6 1636 Markel Spencer RB Sr. 5-9 1757 Rayekwon Satterwaithe OLB, ATH Sr. 6-1 2109 Jarquez Keyes RB/LB/DE Jr. 6 18510 Hasaan Credle WR/S Jr. 6-1 17012 Patrick Thompson QB Sr. 6 17518 Javon Whitney WR/DB Sr. 6 16021 Aaron Smith CB Sr. 5-9 14022 Brandon Jackson ILB/FB Jr. 6-1 23024 Lexroy Brown ILB/FB Jr. 6 22528 Stepfon Rodman RB/CB/PR Sr. 5-7 14030 Tyrik Thigpen WR Sr. 32 Jeremiah Windley DL/FB Sr. 5-8 23534 Josh Padgett LB/DE Jr. 6-1 17042 Jamond Ebron OLB/ATH Sr. 6 18045 Chris Lee WR Jr. 5-6 13044 Alex Lacy WR/OLB Sr. 6 18550 Neill Jennings OL/DL Jr. 5-11 25052 George Briley OL/DL Sr. 6 23555 Josh Smith DE Jr. 6-2 21056 Sawyer Ford OL Sr. 5-7 18560 Hunter Nichols DL/OL Sr. 6-3 22562 Matt Swales OL/DL Jr. 5-10 26563 Conner Sawyer C/DL Jr. 5-10 22064 Ian Stroud OL/DL Sr. 5-11 22065 Lane Jackson OL/DL Sr. 6-3 25567 Joyner Crisp OL/DL Sr. 6 22569 Joe Randolph LB Jr. 5-8 20574 Daquaris McCullough DT So. 5-10 31578 Jayshawn Rome DL Sr. 6 28079 Carter O’Neal OL/DL Sr. 5-11 30581 Quemel Boston DB Jr. 5-7 14584 Myron Brooks DB/WR Sr. 6 17088 Kyle Krajewski TE/DE Sr. 6-5 21589 Zach Bridgeman TE Sr. 6-5 19099 Malik Clark DT Jr. 6-4 305

BEFORE THE SNAPCOLORS: Blue, WhiteSTADIUM: J.G. Choppy Wagner Stadium (2,000)CONFERENCE: Eastern Plains

HEAD COACH: Sport Sawyer (overall and at Washington: 70-55)DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jon BlankSTAFF: Alex Heck (DL), Johnny Rodman (WR), Eric Peartree (RB), DeWayne Kellum (OL), Steven Flowers (JV)

LAST CONFERENCE TITLE: 2013

RETURNING STARTERS: 8 offense, 6 defensePLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Markel Spencer, OLB Jamond Ebron, TE EJ Peartree, ATH Trey Spruill, ILB Brandon Jackson

BY THE NUMBERS

1,877 The number of yards senior running back Markel Spencer needs this season to reach 5,000 for his high school career. Sawyer expects Spencer to get the majority of the carries for Washington this season.

2014 SCHEDULEAug. 22 at HavelockAug. 39 at TarboroSept. 5 ConleySept. 12 West CravenSept. 26 at RiversideOct. 3 KinstonOct. 10 at Farmville Central*Oct. 17 Southwest Edgecombe*Oct. 24 at Beddingfield*Oct. 31 North Pitt*Nov. 11 at North Johnston*

2013 RESULTS (12-3, 5-0 EASTERN PLAINS)

L Havelock 28-6W Tarboro 20-14W at Conley 28-21L at West Craven 14-7W Riverside 47-6W at Kinston 26-21W Farmville Central* 20-6W at Southwest Edgecombe* 27-14W Beddingfield* 33-7W at North Pitt* 22-14W North Johnston* 40-0W North Pitt 24-14W Bunn 35-32W at Currituck County 46-6L at T.W. Andrews 42-15

Coming off its best season in the Sport Sawyer era, the 2014 edition of the Washing-

ton Pam Pack is looking to elevate over some repetitious hurdles and continue to capitalize on the 2013 class demotion. It begins with the reigning Class 3-A State Cham-pion in Havelock in the opening game, an overly formidable test of strength in what could potentially be a season-defining game. Senior quarterback Patrick Thompson will attempt to navigate the Pam Pack offense past the Rams for the first time, well, since his brother did it in 2008.

First game aside, Washington returns a slew of starters on both sides of the ball, enough to solidi-fy the Pack as favorites in four of their six out-of-conference games. Unarguably, the Pam Pack should be able to take the Eastern Plains Conference rather easily.

But Sawyer will have to build his offense around a new set of playmakers. Gone are Brodie West and Stevie Green. In is Thompson, who will look to limit mistakes and operate a systematically run pistol offense, driven by running back Markel Spencer.

Washington should have enough firepower this season to plow its way through the regular season and make an even deeper playoff run.

OFFENSE: PISTOL

Head coach Sport Sawyer be-lieves in designing his scheme around his playmakers. The Pam Pack hit the ground running last season, quite literally, with a dual running back set that had oppos-ing defenses on the run and the offense averaging about 27 points per game.

With athlete Stevie Green gone, his counterpart, senior Markel Spencer, will assume the major-ity of the carries and become the catalyst in a revamped, run-heavy attack. Spencer enters his final season in Washington with 3123 career rushing yards, averaging 7.5 yards per carry.

At quarterback, out is Brodie Moore, whose primary job was game management last season. Se-nior Patrick Thompson will take over the starting role. Thompson, who last played in 2012-2013 be-hind current ECU receiver Jimmy Williams, impressed at this sum-mer’s Cam Newton Foundation 7-on-7 Tournament, showcasing increased arm strength, accuracy and mobility. Above all else, Saw-yer loves his field general’s ability to lead, both by example and off the field, as well as control pres-sure.

With Spencer, Thompson and a collection of athletic offensive role players, including Javon Whitney, Trey Spurill and Raye-kwon Satterwaithe and a pair of dynamic tight ends in EJ Peartree and Kyle Krajewski, the Pam Pack will run their customary pistol of-fense with multiple variations of the Wing-T out of the spread.

And with Thompson at the helm, Sawyer will open the pass-ing game up with some quick screen slants and inside receiver

post routes. While the receivers will see some action, Peartree and Krajewski will be the focal points behind the passing game, targeted through down hill, play action-type plays.

Washington will rely on its experience up front with five of the six starters returning. Con-nor Sawyer, a center focused on repetition, will be responsible for covering Thompson’s 12 o’clock. Also returning on the line are two 6-foot, 230-plus-pound bruisers in Neil Jennings and George Briley. Sawyer is also looking to the 6-2, 255-pound Lane Jackson to open up space for Spencer.

DEFENSE: 4-4

Defensive coordinator Jon Blank inherits the toughest duty of all Pam Pack coaches, replac-ing the most productive and feared defensive line in the conference. While Sawyer says “replacing” the 305-pound Baylone Guilford and Travon Wallace is unmanage-able, finding players to pressure opposing offenses up front is a must for this Pam Pack squad.

It’s a line that needs new play-makers to step up. Focusing of positional flexibility, Sawyer and Blank believe Jarquez Keyes and Josh Smith have the physical makeup and mobility to pressure the quarterback at the defensive end positions, dropping back in coverage when needed.

Out of the gate, Sawyer plans on swapping positions to find each player’s ideal role, but the 6-foot, 280-pound Jayshawn Rome and 6-4, 305-pound Malik Clark have solidified spots on the first team. The pair of lineman will be tasked

with stuffing the run and match-ing their predecessors’ football intelligence. Joining Rome and Clark on the line will be Jeremiah Windley, who gives Sawyer a more versatile option up front.

If the line is weak, the focal point of the defense is undoubt-edly the returning core of line-backers, led by Jamond Ebron and Brandon Jackson. Jackson, coming off a 136-tackle sopho-more season, could potentially reach the 500-career tackle mark this season as a middle lineback-er, while Ebron, a three-year var-sity starter, provides a rock solid 6-foot, 180-pound frame at outside linebacker. The pair will work in unison with Lexroy Brown and Rayekwon Satterwaithe, two 200-plus backers with the ability to ex-plode off the line on the blitz. The Pam Pack linebackers should be among the best in the conference and Class 2-A overall.

Flexibility in the secondary al-lows Blank to throw different looks at opposing offenses. Depending on the situation, Washington has the ability and willingness to ex-pand the field, employing a 4-2-5 when needed. Ebron and Satter-waithe’s quickness gives them the ability to drop back in coverage.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Despite having a relatively pro-ductive 2013 campaign on special teams, Sawyer still sees room for improvement. That begins with the Pam Pack’s state champion re-turn man, Stepfon Rodman, who finished first in the 400-meter dash last spring. Rodman is everything you want in a returner, bringing uncompromised speed, agility and elusiveness to the table. Rodman, Clinton Pope and Trey Spurill will be the primary options on special teams.

With the graduation of kicker Christian Crompton, Sawyer tapped into the Pam Pack soccer program and plucked out a few defenders in Ben McKeithan and William Page, a returning starter in head coach Jim Kozuch’s back-field. Both should be welcomed additions to the special teams and could even be an upgrade at the position. Sawyer will look to McK-eithan, Page or Thompson to as-sume the punting role




NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

PANTHERSNo. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt.5 Kermani Slade RB/CB Sr. 5-5 1307 Ethan Gurganus FB/SS Sr. 5-11 17010 Reggie Slade WR/CB Sr. 5-9 15011 Noel Howson QB/FS Sr. 5-9 16512 Patrick Moore WB/CB Sr. 5-6 16014 Jordan Woolard QB/LB Sr. 6 16515 Rockne Butler RB/LB Sr. 6-1 19016 Quashawn Slade WR/CB Sr. 5-2 11520 James Barrow FB/LB So. 5-9 18021 Chris Slade WB/CB So. 5-8 13524 Austin Gambriel RB/LB Jr. 5-8 18031 Ikeem Thompson WB/DL Jr. 5-7 23045 Daniel Cerny TE/DL Jr. 5-5 20550 Colby Woolard OL/LB Sr. 6 21554 Joaquin Orduno OL/DL Jr. 5-9 23055 Jacob Boyd OL/LB So. 6-1 17060 Leland Flanadan OL/DL Jr. 5-10 22061 Caleb Alligood OL/DL Sr. 5-10 20572 Alexis Garcis OL/DL Jr. 5-5 24573 Tyler Dugger OL/DL Jr. 5-8 25082 Dalton Etheridge WR/FS Sr. 6 18080 Bobby Williams TE/LB Jr. 6 170

BEFORE THE SNAPCOLORS: Black, White, SilverSTADIUM: Bing Mitchell Stadium (2,000)CONFERENCE: Coastal Plains

HEAD COACH: Keith Boyd (at NHS and overall: 31-59)DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jeff ProbertSTAFF: Jay Mason (RB, DB), Riley Youmans (WR, DB)

LAST CONFERENCE TITLE: Early ‘90s

RETURNING STARTERS: 7 offense, 6 defensePLAYERS TO WATCH: TB Rockne Butler, OL Colby Woolard, QB Noel Howson, WR Reggie Slade, CB Kermani Slade

BY THE NUMBERS

12The number of seniors on Northside’s roster this sea-son. Boyd believes having leadership across the offense and defense will help his team secure its first winning record in a decade.

2014 SCHEDULEAug. 22 at CreswellAug. 29 North DuplinSept. 5 at Southside*Sept. 12 South CreekSept. 19 at Edenton HolmesOct. 3 Southside*Oct. 17 at Pamlico County*Oct. 24 at Jones Senior*Oct. 31 at East Carteret*Nov. 7 Lejeune*

2013 RESULTS (6-6, 3-2 COASTAL PLAINS)

W Creswell 43-6L at North Duplin 28-0W Southside* 13-12W at South Creek 56-6L Edenton Holmes 43-6L at North Pitt 43-13W at Southside* 46-38L Pamlico County* 21-10W Jones Senior* 64-30W East Carteret* 42-34L at Lejeune* 27-14L at Manteo 35-8

Resembling an NFL team in rebuilding mode, the North-side Panthers, who are in

the midst of the longest confer-ence title drought in the county, have steadily improved over the course of the last four years. What began as a promising core of freshman athletes fighting for a win is now a team poised for suc-cess in 2014.

While the south side of the county has historically produced smaller, scrappy and more elusive athletes, Northside’s freshman — all too familiar with adversity and losing football — are now sea-soned, confident, athletic seniors looking to bring the people of Pi-netown, Yeatesville and Bath its first winning record in 10 years.

Last season’s 6-6 finish was a step in the right direction, as the team fielded a more-than-capable offense that averaged 27 points per game. Timing could be everything for the Panthers this fall. Head coach Keith Boyd is entering un-charted territory with an under-sized roster of dynamic athletes, quite the change from the usual demographic of Northisde play-ers.

OFFENSE: POWER I, DOUBLE-WING

Most football coaches, regard-less of the level, strive for unifor-mity, a set game plan heading into each game. Boyd does things a little differently in Pinetown.

Northside’s think tank likes to incorporate as many different of-fensive looks as possible to try to throw off bigger, more forceful de-fenses. To put a single label on the Panthers’ offense would simply be incorrect, but Boyd targets his playmakers through a series of I-formation and option packages, sometimes resembling and Army-style attack.

And while size is down and ath-leticism up, the Panthers need to replace the production Antonio “Bootman” Woods provided at

fullback and Chowan recruit Dale Russ delivered on the block. To Boyd, his current roster simply doesn’t have the depth or size to replace either star, so he’s moving in a different direction. With two senior transfers joining the team in quarterback Jordan Woolard from Washington and deep threat Dalton Etheridge from Pungo, Northside will stick to its cus-tomary run-based philosophy, but open up the field for more passing plays, giving the Panthers an even more customized look offensively.

Senior Noel Howson and Woolard are complementary quar-terbacks who will split time at the position this fall. Howson’s game is based on the read option. Boyd says Howson is a strong leader and has the ability to turn noth-ing into something. Woolard is a cleaner, more precise field general focused on play-action type pass-ing. Normally, alternating quar-terbacks can be risky, but in this case, it is a great way to change it up in the absence of two stand-outs.

But no player is more important to the Panthers on both sides of the ball this season than Rockne Butler, who will reclaim his posi-tion at tailback. Butler is a 6-1, 190-pound back with speed, attri-butes often not found at the 1-A level.

With a strong offensive line, powered by two consistent guards in Colby Woolard and Caleb Alli-good, along with Etheridge, full-back James Barrow, wingback Patrick Moore and a charismatic Reggie Slade, this team has all the pieces to improve upon their 2013 output.

DEFENSE: 5-2

Being one of the smaller rosters in the conference, the Panthers’ defensive line will have to rely on its quickness and physicality to stop opposing offenses. Alligood and junior Tyler Dugger have the

ability to get off the line, but could find themselves in trouble against some of the larger opponents, like conference foes Lejeune and Pam-lico County.

That being said, much of the burden will likely be placed on the linebackers to shutdown the run, a load Butler, Colby Woolard, Jor-dan Woolard and Barrow should have little problem carrying. Their athleticism will allow de-fensive coordinator Jeff Probert to draw up a number of schemes for the middle of the defense, whether that be dropping back or rushing the passer.

Even if Butler does drop back, the corner backs will still be re-sponsible for defending the deep ball. While not overly deep in the secondary, Kermani Slade certain-ly has the speed to keep up with virtually any wideout, but not the height, standing at just 5-5. In fact, Northside doesn’t have a corner over 5-9, but the 6-foot Etheridge is a fully capable free safety.

The absence of Russ and Woods will take a toll on the defense, un-less the defense can rally around a stellar core of linebackers. Prob-ert’s zone defense could be the answer and allow Butler, Jordan Woolard, Colby Woolard and Bar-row some flexibility in that re-gard.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Northside’s collection of speedsters gives Boyd a selec-tion of returners. While Howson is expected to receive, Kermani Slade, who is one of the faster players on the roster, will also get a significant amount of opportu-nities in special teams. Moore is also expected to get the chance at some kickoffs.

Senior Ethan Gurganus will assume punting duties and has a range of about 35-45 yards, accord-ing to Boyd, while Barrow will be responsible for kickoffs and field goals heading into the fall.




SOUTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

SEAHAWKSNo. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt.1 Johnny Sullivan QB, DB Jr. 5-11 1532 Nigel Peele FB, LB Jr. 5-9 1555 Joe Myers C, RB So. 5-9 1659 Marquelle Boyd RB, DB Sr. 5-7 15210 Will Mumford RB, DB Sr. 5-9 14411 Zikajah Crawford DB, RB, KR So. 5-11 14112 Marshall Medlock DB, QB So. 6 18021 Brandon Fulford DB, LB, RB Fr. 5-9 17322 Matt Baxter RB, DB Jr. 5-11 16325 Kyle Hill RB, DB Fr. 5-7 14628 Donald Moore RB, LB Sr. 5-8 16831 Cody Modlin DB, WR Fr. 5-6 11832 Lawrence Brown RB, LB Jr. 5-8 17533 Dylan Lewis RB, LB Jr. 6-2 18544 Ethan Harris LB, RB So. 5-8 14051 Matt Ham DL, OL Jr. 5-5 14552 Sparks Hunter OL, LB So. 6 19054 Mike Galland OL, DL Jr. 5-9 18255 Crance Josh OL, DL Jr. 6-2 24062 Nicholas Baugham OL, DL Jr. 5-9 24063 Rakwon Morning DE, OL Jr. 5-10 20064 Victor Whitley DE, OL Sr. 5-10 18565 Austin Jordan OL, DL Sr. 5-10 24566 Moore Loyed DL, OL So. 5-6 26370 Phillip Smith OL, DL Sr. 6-1 19171 Jordan McMillian OL, DE Jr. 5-10 16573 Justin Tyer C, DL Sr. 5-8 21578 Bobby Martin DT, OL Jr. 5-10 27079 Donshea Tatum DL, OL Jr. 6-2 28280 Jaron Watson WR, DE Sr. 6 18581 Raquan Ward WR, DB Sr. 5-11 14682 Andrew Baxter OL, DL, TE Jr. 6-1 19183 Donald Miller TE, DL Jr. 6-1 16484 Jorrin Balliey TE, LB Sr. 6-2 16190 Rilley Ward K Sr. 5-9 190

BEFORE THE SNAPCOLORS: Navy, Teal, Old GoldSTADIUM: The Nest (2,000)CONFERENCE: Coastal Plains

HEAD COACH: Jeff Carrow (at SHS and overall: 3-9)DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Andrea QuinerlySTAFF: Develle Whitney (DB), Robert Brown (DL), Kam Rouse (OL), Milton Ruffin (RB), Clarance Baker (WR)


RETURNING STARTERS: 8 offense, 9 defensePLAYERS TO WATCH: OL Austin Jordan, FB Dylan Lewis, CB Donald Moore, ATH Matthew Baxter, TB Lawrence Brown

BY THE NUMBERS5The number of returning starters on the offense line. Carrow expects his offense line to be the difference maker in terms of offensive production this season.

2014 SCHEDULEAug. 22 at North DuplinAug. 29 RosewoodSept. 5 Northside*Sept. 12 at RiversideSept. 19 Spring CreekSept. 26 OPENOct. 3 at South CreekOct. 10 at Northside*Oct. 17 East Carteret*Oct. 24 Jones Senior*Oct. 31 at Lejeune*Nov. 7 at Pamlico County*

2013 RESULTS (6-6, 3-2 COASTAL PLAINS)

L North Duplin 27-12L at Rosewood 41-24L at Northside* 13-12L Riverside 33-0W at Spring Creek 20-7W South Creek 52-19L Northside* 46-38W at Jones Senior* 38-34L at East Carteret* 42-22L Lejeune* 54-14L Pamlico County* 33-12L Pamlico County 44-6

With an experienced set of upperclassmen tak-ing the field, head coach

Jeff Carrow and the Southside Seahawks are looking to put 2013 in the rearview, shifting the fo-cus to methodical form tackling, maintaining a multi-look running game and playing gritty, iron man football. This year marks a bit of a role reversal between two Coastal Plains Conference County rivals. While Northside has upgraded in athleticism, Southside is looking to its above average, Class 1-A size on the lines to step up in key situ-ations.

Tackling and special teams were a problem last year, but Car-row believes a regimented offsea-son has bolstered both those ar-eas. And if the Seahawks can play to their potential, they should be able to erase the late-game collaps-es that contributed to last season’s disappointing 3-9 record.

The defensive line has grown and the offense is beginning to congeal, but an intelligent, expe-rienced offensive line will serve as the backbone of this Seahawks squad. On paper, a conference championship looks out of reach for Southside. However, a confi-dent coach and a new team atti-tude could turn an underdog into an instant contender in 2014.

OFFENSE: WING-T

Southside will live and die by its returning cast of veteran line-men, fronted by seniors Austin Jordan, Phillip Smith and Victor Whitley. Academic success is un-questionably the No. 1 priority for Carrow as a coach not only because that is his primary role as an educator, but also because his offense is built around play-ers’ ability to be mentally poised. Jordan and Smith, who are flip-flopping roles on the line this sea-son (Jordan to guard and Smith to center), are some of the most intelligent football players in the area.

To execute a rudimentary wing-T offense successfully, athleticism, aptitude and game management are crucial. After a highly compet-itive preseason quarterback battle between sophomore Marshall Medlock and senior returning starter Johnny Sullivan, Carrow has decided to go with the upper-classmen, Sullivan, to navigate the Seahawks offense. The choice is the safest one, no doubt, but Car-row sees Sullivan as the best op-tion to limit mistakes, turnovers and sacks, while operating the offense as efficiently as possible. After all, the wing-T is built on the run game and Southside certainly is not lacking in that department.

Carrow’s roster is stocked with players longing for a breakout sea-son. The key word is consistency. All three key pieces in the offense have returned this year, beginning with last season’s leading rusher, junior fullback Dylan Lewis, an impact player on both sides of

the ball. Lewis is by far the loud-est, most aggressive option in the Southside backfield. To comple-ment Lewis, Lawrence Brown will play out of the tailback position and junior Matthew Baxter, a dy-namic athlete with a solid frame, will slide in at wingback. Brown’s versatility and elusiveness makes him a viable option at tailback, while Baxter serves as one of the more underrated playmakers on the roster. Andrew Baxter, at 6-1, 191-pounds, will take over at tight end.

Carrow admits there are still questions at receiver, but expect Donald Moore to be the primary options and Matthew Baxter to as-sume more of a flex back role.

DEFENSE: 4-4

Due to decrease in numbers last season, a medley of sophomores were promoted from junior var-sity and thrust into a starting role on defense. It was a tough situ-ation for the coaching staff and players, but in the end, a great learning experience that could pay serious dividends in 2014.

While not overly threatening in size, an emphasis on tackling this summer has nine returning starters ready to square off with any opposing lineup. Dylan Lewis, the X-factor on offense, will also be the catalyst and leader behind the defense this season, while Jor-dan and Smith will hop over to the other side of the line between possessions. Joining Lewis will be Moore at linebacker, a small but scrappy playmaker who enjoyed one of the best offseasons of any player, according to Carrow.

Making it onto defensive coordi-nator Andrea Ouinerly’s radar is the 5-9, 165-pound Joe Myers, an athlete who could be inserted in certain defensive sets, as well as

sophomore Zikajah Crawford, an undersized defensive back with enough agility to earn a role.

Despite a core of athletes up front, Quinerly is placing the pres-sure on his coaching staff to find the identity of the secondary, one that lacks depth. With Matthew Baxter switching between tackle and defensive back, look for Will Mumford, Marquelle Boyd and some of the senior leaders to show defensive flexibility and fill in when needed.

Overall, this is a defense that had flashes of brilliance, but failed to piece it all together down the stretch, allowing 33 points per game last season. The offense has proven it can put points on the scoreboard. It’s up to the defense to put last season behind them and move forward with its new-found intensity.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Chocowinity has always had a surplus of athletes, whether it be the agile point guard Donshae Miller or ace pitcher Alex Graves. This year is no different.

Carrow acknowledges that not enough emphasis was put on spe-cial teams last year. He spent this offseason working special teams drills into the practices sessions, and will look to the speedy Craw-ford, along with an assortment of other playmakers, to alternate in the return game. Crawford, a skinny, elusive playmaker, fit nicely into the role last season, re-turning his first ever kickoff for a touchdown.

Moore, who can reach the 10-yard line, will be responsible for kickoffs, while Will Mumford, Carrow says, is currently the fa-vorite to be the punter. Senior Riley Ward will split time with Moore kicking field goals.



This is a complete team. While they are listed as returning nine starters (six on offense

and three on defense), the Pirates are in capable hands as many as those non-starters have received plenty of valuable playing time. Seniors Shane Carden and Justin Hardy will be worth the price of admission alone this season, as they head into the final chapter of their illustrious careers.

Vintavious Cooper used all his eligibility, but coaches are con-fident that whoever they deem worthy of replacing him will have earned it. This offense will be as explosive as any in the AAC as long as the holes on the offensive line left by graduation are filled.

Defensively, the front seven is stacked yet again, even after los-ing its top defensive end Terrell Stanley to injuries from a car ac-cident. ECU is starting to feature a stout linebacking corps year after year under Ruffin McNeill. The secondary is the biggest question mark with holes to fill at both safe-ty positions and young, raw cor-ners on the two-deep. Overall, this team has the talent and leader-ship to duplicate its success from a year ago, even while entering a new league.

OFFENSE: AIR RAID

The Pirates boast one of the nation’s premiere quarterback-receiver combinations in seniors Shane Carden and Justin Hardy. The two have the perfect combi-nation of chemistry, consistency, explosiveness and football intel-ligence in order to excel for the Pirates in their first season in the American Athletic Confer-ence, and it shows as they both garnered Preseason First Team All-Conference honors. There’s a short list of more accomplished receivers in the nation than Har-dy, but after the senior, there isn’t a huge drop-off for the Pirates at wide-out. Isaiah Jones finished with the second most receiving yards (604) last season behind Hardy in his true freshman year, and junior Bryce Williams (6-6, 250 lbs.) is a dangerous red zone target. Sophomore Davon Gray-son, senior Can Worthy, and for-mer Pam Pack star Jimmy Wil-liams have all contributed in the past for the Pirates as well. Some true freshmen may compete for playing time in this very deep re-ceiving corps.

Along the offensive line, from left to right, junior Ike Harris, freshman Larry Williams, senior Taylor Hudson, sophomore J.T. Boyd and junior Tre Robertson are listed as the summer starters, although with multiple gradua-tions and the arrival of two key JUCO additions, jobs up front are very much in the air. Due to inju-ries and graduations, the offen-sive line entered spring camp with huge question marks, but heading into the season, the Pirate coaches are feeling more confident about the situation. The talent is there, but ECU needs to avoid injury be-cause depth is still in question.

Back-to-back 1000 yard rusher Vintavious Cooper exits after the 2013 campaign, and Offensive Co-ordinator Lincoln Riley hopes he’ll be able to replace that pro-

duction, whether it is with one guy or a committee approach. Se-nior Breon Allen was productive for the Pirates with his carries a season ago, and he figures to be the lead back heading into the season. Junior Chris Hairston, redshirt freshman Marquez Gray-son, junior Corey Hunter and true freshman Anthony Scott are all in the mix as well.

DEFENSE: 3-4

ECU returns only three starters from the opening game a season ago, but McNeill and Defensive Coordinator Rick Smith rotate constantly, so there is still plenty of experience on the defensive side of the ball.

The Pirates featured probably the top front seven in Conference USA last year, and they have the pieces in place to compete for that same honor in the AAC this sea-son. ECU unfortunately lost prob-ably its top defensive lineman Terrell Stanley to car-wreck relat-ed injury. He will miss all of 2014 and hope for a medical redshirt to save his senior year of eligibil-ity. Jonathon White, Fred Presley, K’Hadree Hooker and Chrishon Rose all figure to receive plenty of time on the outside of the line this year, while fifth-year senior Terry Williams will occupy his usual position at nose-guard with sophomore Demetri McGill back-ing him up. The line is a big, expe-rienced group. It will likely need at least one of these players to be-come a dominant pass-rusher in order for the unit to take the next step.

Just like a season ago, lineback-er rivals receiver as the deepest, most talented position for the Pi-rates. Vocal leader and captain Zeek Bigger will man the inside

of the four-backer set alongside senior Brandon Williams. Senior Maurice Falls figures to start on the right outside opposite junior and pro talent Montese Overton. Dayon Pratt, Devaris Brunson, Joe Allely, Reece Speight and Desi Brown will all fight for playing time as well.

The secondary is probably the Pirates’ most questionable units heading into 2014. The two major corner positions look to be in de-cent hands. Junior Josh Hawkins appears to be the clear choice at boundary corner, while senior De-tric Allen should start at bound-ary. Both of those players received plenty of experience a year before, but after them, youth takes over at corner. Sophomores DaShaun Amos and DaShawn Benton are likely the two most likely options for the two-deep. The Pirates grad-uated seniors Damon Magazu and Chip Thompson last year. They will likely be replaced by either sophomore Terrell Richardson at strong safety or senior Lamar Ivey, while free safety will likely end up in the hands of junior Dominique Lennon backed up by freshman Travon Simmons.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Pirates’ special teams had an overall solid season a year ago under Kirk Doll. The punt cover-age, punt return, kickoff coverage kick return games were all consis-tent. Senior Trent Tignor was out-standing as the punter, but War-ren Harvey struggled mightily as place kicker. Tignor is graduated, but Harvey returns for what he hopes will be a more consistent se-nior campaign. Sophomore Davis Plowman is lurking just behind him on the depth chart. Strong-legged sophomore Worth Gregory figures to take over punting duties and will have big shoes to fill with Tignor gone. Playmaker and all-league talent Justin Hardy will as-sume his typical punt return du-ties, while senior Breon Allen tops the summer depth chart at kick returner. Isaiah Jones and Davon Grayson may be in the mix there as well.

Content in this section was pro-vided by Daily News contributor Dan Hunt.


EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

PIRATESNo. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt.57 Joe Allely Outside Linebacker 6-1/239 RS FR25 Breon Allen Running Back 5-8/190 SR4 Detric Allen Defensive Back 6-0/200 SR39 DaShaun Amos Defensive Back 6-1/182 SO Devin Anderson Running Back 5-9/204 FR90 Randall Anderson Defensive End 6-4/254 RS FR86 Steve Baggett Tight End 6-5/225 FR97 Demage Bailey Defensive Line 6-5/250 RS FR64 Des Barmore Offensive Line 6-6/284 FR82 DaQuan Barnes Outside Receiver 6-1/190 SO47 Jeton Beavers Outside Linebacker 6-5/263 JR6 Kurt Benkert Quarterback 6-3/220 RS FR6 DaShawn Benton Defensive Back 6-0/189 SO44 Zeek Bigger Inside Linebacker 6-2/228 JR15 Brandon Bishop Outside Receiver 5-11/187 SO46 Yiannis Bowden Outside Linebacker 6-5/215 FR65 J.T. Boyd Offensive Line 6-4/302 SO23 Desi Brown Inside Linebacker 6-2/220 SR88 Trevon Brown Outside Receiver 6-2/206 FR34 Devaris Brunson Inside Linebacker 6-1/230 SO19 Curtis Burston Outside Receiver 6-1/226 FR5 Shane Carden Quarterback 6-2/221 SR30 Joe Carter Inside Linebacker 6-2/220 FR60 Charlie Coggins Deep Snapper 6-3/200 SR Jason Connella Quarterback 5-11/196 FR52 Kirk Donaldson Outside Linebacker 6-3/255 RS FR81 Darren Dowdell Tight End 6-4/228 RS FR Dwayne Duckett Outside Receiver 5-10/175 JR70 Kyle Erickson Offensive Line 6-4/286 FR98 Alex Evans Defensive End 6-6/215 FR43 Drayvon Fairley Inside Linebacker 6-3/217 SO48 Maurice Falls Outside Linebacker 6-3/247 SR67 Will Foxx Offensive Line 6-2/313 JR35 Bobby Fulp Defensive Back 6-4/195 RS FR Bladen Gatling Offensive Line 6-2/323 JR45 Jake Geary Outside Linebacker 6-3/250 SR4 Malik Gray Outside Receiver 6-1/194 FR85 Davon Grayson Outside Receiver 6-2/196 SO27 Marquez Grayson Running Back 6-1/200 RS FR13 Pat Green Outside Linebacker 6-2/218 RS FR87 Terrell Green Outside Receiver 6-4/190 FR40 Worth Gregory Punter 6-3/205 SO22 Chris Hairston Running Back 6-0/197 JR2 Justin Hardy Inside Receiver 6-0/188 SR69 Ike Harris Offensive Line 6-7/304 JR14 Warren Harvey Placekicker 5-11/225 SR28 Josh Hawkins Defensive Back 5-10/186 JR30 Trevian Hicks Defensive Back 5-11/198 RS FR76 Stewart Hinson Offensive Line 6-7/296 JR9 K’Hadree Hooker Defensive Line 6-1/300 SO74 Taylor Hudson Offensive Line 6-5/285 SR Beau Huffman Tight End 6-2/193 FR26 Cory Hunter Running Back 5-10/201 JR7 Lamar Ivey Defensive Back 6-1/196 SR50 Shaun James Defensive Line 6-4/235 FR20 Quay Johnson Inside Receiver 5-10/170 FR7 Isaiah Jones Inside Receiver 6-1/186 SO12 Cody Keith Quarterback 6-3/200 JR David Kelcy Outside Receiver 6-2/180 FR Blake Kemp Quarterback 6-1/209 JR31 Domonique Lennon Defensive Back 6-2/205 JR66 Erik Lenzen Offensive Line 6-5/265 FR71 Dontae Levingston Offensive Line 6-4/280 JR23 Chris Love Running Back/Inside Receiver 5-10/178 RS FR72 Christian Matau Offensive Line 6-3/315 RS FR19 Nate Mays Defensive Back 5-10/195 SO56 Garrett McGhin Offensive Line 6-6/310 FR56 Demetri McGill Nose Tackle/Defensive End 6-1/310 SO72 Quincy McKinney Offensive Line 6-4/311 JR83 Jacen Murphy Inside Receiver 5-10/180 RS FR92 Mike Myers Nose Tackle 6-0/288 RS FR11 Blake Norwood Defensive Back 6-0/189 FR Colton Oliver Deep Snapper 6-3/271 FR51 Montese Overton Outside Linebacker 6-3/220 JR14 Travis Phillips Defensive Back 5-11/180 RS FR Cole Pickard Inside Linebacker 6-0/220 FR38 Davis Plowman Placekicker/Punter 5-10/185 SO41 Dayon Pratt Outside Linebacker 6-4/230 SO99 Fred Presley Defensive End/Nose Tackle 6-3/300 SO12 Cody Purdie Defensive Back 5-11/189 FR78 Messiah Rice Offensive Tackle 6-5/255 FR22 Terrell Richardson Defensive Back 6-0/210 SO68 Tre Robertson Offensive Line 6-5/310 JR35 Greg Robinson Defensive Back 5-11/202 SR93 Chrishon Rose Nose Tackle/Defensive End 6-4/303 SR Anthony Russo Outside Receiver 5-8/163 FR10 Rocco Scarfone Defensive Back 5-11/182 JR3 Anthony Scott Running Back 5-9/180 FR Marquise Sherrod-Ponds Running Back 5-9/185 RS FR32 Christian Simmons Defensive Back 5-11/176 JR3 Travon Simmons Defensive Back 5-10/185 RS FR62 Brandon Smith Offensive Line 6-8/336 RS FR Ray Smith Quarterback 6-1/177 FR2 Xavier Smith Defensive Back 6-2/195 RS FR59 Reece Speight Outside Linebacker 6-3/236 SO Davonte’ Spruill Inside Linebacker 6-3/212 FR Jim Squatriglia Punter 6-2/236 FR84 Jonathan Stanley Inside Receiver 6-2/200 RS FR66 Terrell Stanley Defensive End/Nose Tackle 6-2/266 JR50 C.J. Struyk Offensive Line/Deep Snapper 6-2/296 JR20 Austin Teague Defensive Back 6-0/178 RS FR8 Cedric Thompson Inside Receiver 5-9/183 JR24 Jamal Tillman Running Back 5-9/193 SO21 Ray Tillman Inside Linebacker 6-1/193 FR Connor Torruella Placekicker 5-10/169 SO33 Drew Turnage Defensive Back 6-0/185 FR77 Marquis Wallace Offensive Line 6-5/336 SR49 Masaddiq Walton Outside Linebacker 6-3/245 FR13 Jonathon Weymann Quarterback 6-0/210 JR55 Cameron White Inside Linebacker 5-11/213 SO94 Johnathon White Defensive End 6-4/292 JR24 Brandon Williams Inside Linebacker 6-1/230 SR80 Bryce Williams Inside Receiver/Tight End 6-6/250 JR81 Jimmy Williams Inside Receiver 5-11/180 SO55 Larry Williams Offensive Line 6-4/337 RS FR Shawn Williams Placekicker 6-0/205 JR54 Terry Williams Nose Tackle 6- 1/353 SR91 Markel Winters Outside Linebacker/DL 6-3/226 FR9 Cam Worthy Outside Receiver 6-3/220 SR

BEFORE THE SNAPCOLORS: Purple, GoldSTADIUM: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (50,000)CONFERENCE: American

HEAD COACH: Ruffin McNeill (29-22 overall; 28-22 at ECU)OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Lincoln Riley (QB)DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Rick SmithSTAFF: Kirk Doll (RB, Special Teams), Brandon Jones (OL), Marc Yel-lock (DL), Donnie Kirkpatrick (Inside WR), Dave Nichol (Outside WR), John Wiley (ILB), Duane Price (OLB)


RETURNING STARTERS: offense 6, defense 3PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Shane Carden, WR Justin Hardy, OLB Montese Overton, ILB Zeek Bigger, WR Isaiah Jones

BY THE NUMBERS1774The number of passing yards quarterback Shane Carden needs to break David Garrard’s all-time ECU passing record. Carden currently sits at 7255 career passing yards.

2014 SCHEDULEAug. 30 North Carolina CentralSept. 6 at South CarolinaSept. 13 at Virginia TechSept. 20 North CarolinaOct. 4 Southern MethodistOct. 11 at South FloridaOct. 23 ConnecticutNov. 1 at TempleNov. 13 at CincinnatiNov. 22 TulaneNov. 28 at TulsaDec. 4 Central Florida

2013 RESULTS 2013 RESULTS (10-3, 6-2 C-USA)W Old Dominion 52-38W Florida Atlantic 31-13L Virginia Tech 15-10W at North Carolina 55-31W at Middle Tennessee 24-17L at Tulane 36-33 (OT)W Southern Mississippi 55-14W at Florida International 34-14W Tulsa 58-24W Alabama-Birmingham 63-14W at North Carolina State 42-28L at Marshall 59-28W Ohio 37-20




IMPACTPLAYERS

AUSTIN JORDANSmart football

MARKEL SPENCERRunning into record books

Watch a Washington football practice and it’s clear the team has no shortage of talent, but one player in particular seems to stand out.

Gone are Stevie Green and Karim Topping, both graduating last May and mov-ing on to play football at the collegiate level. What’s left is the one-third of last season’s dynamic trio.

And with some of the menacing linemen also gone, including the 6-2, 305-pound Baylone Guilford, Markel Spencer has become the heartbeat of the Pam Pack.

To compensate for the loss of Green on offense, other backs like Trey Spruill, Xzavier Clark and Clinton Pope have stepped up. However, Spencer’s speed, field vision and awareness make him the No. 1 back in the depth chart.

“Stevie was a good back, but I believe we’re still going to have a good running game,” Spencer said. “We still have a lot of good running backs. The pressure won’t all have to fall on me really.”

His counterparts are more than willing to take the some of the snaps and are motivated by what Spencer has done on the field in his career. In his two full years at the varsity level, the 5-9, 175-pound back has amassed 3123-yards rushing and 25 touchdowns. They are numbers that place him at the top of the list among Eastern Plains Conference running backs this season. His statistics also place him in the conversation as one of the best backs in the history of the program.

“Reaching the 5,000 yard mark means a lot,” Spencer said. “I’m really trying to go down in history some day.”

While the 5,000-yard mark is certainly possible this season, Spencer admits that he’s more focused on rewriting a different chapter of the Washington his-tory books — state championships. And having quarterback Patrick Thompson at quarterback is only elevating his confidence.

“We had a real good connection towards the end of our sophomore season, so it’s really great to reunite with him.” Spencer said.”

Spencer, Thompson and tight end EJ Peartree will look to lead a smaller Pam Pack lineup even deeper into the playoffs this season.

For the core group of seniors that have persevered through the last three years, battling through adversity and losing football has come with the ter-ritory.

Rockne Butler was one of those play-ers on the undermanned roster who fought through the 0-9 season in 2011, alongside his young teammates. Imme-diately, Butler was thrust into a leader-ship role, convincing players to put the freshman season behind them, stay with the program and work tirelessly to improve their individual game.

“There’s a lot of those people here now who were with me then,” But-ler said. “We said we would never go through that again, so we trained to-gether, worked together. Outside of school and in school, we’ve stayed to-gether as a family, so our chemistry grew all the way from freshman year.”

Now, Butler is a 6-1, 190-pound tailback with the speed of a corner and enough strength to be one of the Coastal Plains Conference’s lineback-ers to watch in 2014. On a small team playing two of the most important po-

sitions, head coach Keith Boyd’s go-to senior will be the glue on both sides of the ball.

Whether it’s the power-I, double-wing or wing-t alignment, Butler al-ways seems to be in the right place at the right time on the practice field, a testament to his football intelligence.

“Rockne gives us toughness,” Boyd said. “He’s a big back, a down-hill runner. Most of the time he’s tough to bring down. If he gets a little bit of blocking, we feel like he’s a guy that can break that tackle or two. He gives us a good strong I back.”

In the defensive backfield, Boyd says Butler’s quickness and agility gives him a variety of options as a coach. Alongside guys like Colby Woolard, Ja-cob Boyd and Austin Gambriel, Butler should have enough of a supporting cast to shutdown the run this season.

Butler has the skillset and frame to become a legitimate collegiate prospect. Expect him to garner some regional attention and be one of the top athletes in the conference on both sides of the ball.

ROCKNE BUTLERGlue to the backfield

Southside head coach Jeff Carrow has a strict policy on grades. If a player is underperform-ing in the classroom, his on-the-field produc-tion becomes simply ir-relevant.

But this season, grades don’t seem to be much of a problem for the Seahawks, as that academic success of a handful of seniors is not only rubbing off on the team, but also improving the overall product.

At 5-10, 245-pounds, Linebacker Austin Jor-dan is the facilitator behind his team’s im-proved output on the field this offseason and a model student. To run Carrow’s signature wing-T offense, intel-ligence is vital, as the smallest of errors can break down a play.

“He’s the strongest kid in the school,” Car-

row said. “ He’s every-thing you could ask for coming from a kid. He broke the school bench record last spring and is close to the squat re-cord. He’d run through a brick wall for you.”

Lucky for Jordan, Carrow only needs him to run through the op-posing lines, which he seems to do regularly. According to Carrow, his guard, who spend last season at center to fill a hole, has an in-grained dedication to football and because of his knowledge of the game, he will make the majority of the line calls this fall.

“I’m glad to get back at guard, where I was freshman and sopho-more year,” Jordan said. “It’s awesome. On the wing-T, I get to trap and lot and hit people. They don’t even know I’m coming.”

He also spent this

summer helping his friend, Phillip Smith, transition from a pri-marily offensive posi-tion on the O-line to the D-line.

“Phillip Smith is an-other guy who has al-ways been in the same classes as me,” Jordan said. “Being more stud-ied helps you know the plays and memo-rize stuff better, plus it takes the worry off coaches and other play-ers, knowing they can depend on you to not get kicked off. It builds more of a trust into the O-linemen. When a guard pulls and they have to trust in your center or trust in that tackle to cover the guy they have, it’s crucial.”

And while Jordan admits he’s undersized for a collegiate lineman, his ability to squat 480 pounds will certainly prompt some double takes.




Keith Kidwell for

County Commissioner

VOTETuesday, November 4, 2014

Willing to Tacklethe Tough Issues

Paid for by Kidwell for Commissioner

JAMOND EBRONContaining the backfield

Washington returns an athletic core of linebackers this fall with the ability to rush the passer and drop back into a 4-2-5 set when needed. Spearheading this talented group is Jamond Ebron, who has become one of his team’s most physical players following the depar-ture of most of the starting defensive line.

Ebron is everything you want in a linebacker. He’s strong, quick and able to maintain zone coverage against speedy slot receivers. And while he’s a bit undersized, Ebron should be con-sidered one of the favorites on defense to be scouted by local Division III col-leges.

“With the athletes we have, if we want to go to a 4-2-5 and drop back in coverages, Ebron and Satterwaite are good enough athletes where they’re able to do that,” Sawyer said. “If there’s a strong running game, they’re strong enough to get their nose in there and make tackles.”

Physical ability aside, Ebron is the unquestioned leader of the Pam Pack defense. He not only leads by example, but also has the ability to make others around him better, whether that be at practice or mid-game. And the senior linebacker is confident the loss in size up front won’t affect the defensive out-put.

“Losing the people we had last year, the big seniors, it’s actually a whole lot better than what I expected,” he said. “I believe our front is still going to be good. Instead of power we have speed. And speed is going to beat power.”

With three of the five leading tack-lers lost to graduation, Ebron and ju-nior Brandon Jackson are both primed for big seasons. Jackson led the team in tackles last year with 136 and Ebron wasn’t too far behind with 86. Taking the enhanced roles of each playing into considering, expect both those totals to increase.

“I have to go out there and prove to everybody that I’m one of the best,”

Ebron said. “For one, my team, they push me more than anybody.”

Defensive coordinator Jon Blank has also provided his senior leader with motivation and advice throughout the years, shaping Ebron’s skillset.

“Any time I have a question I’m the first one there to ask him,” Ebron said. “His coaching is the best I’ve ever had defensive wise. He makes everything simple and gets on you when you need it. He makes you a better player, all around.”

Ebron believes that if his undersized defense can focus and execute the plays at hand, the team will poised for anoth-er successful season in 2014.


Gridiron guide 2014

Documents

Transcript of Gridiron guide 2014