Football Preview - The Observer News Enterprise

Transcription

Football Preview
2
AUGUST 20, 2015
Prep football 2015: Placing
the decision in your hands
2015 will mark the 11th high
school football season in my
journalism career, and it seems
to get here quicker and quicker
each and every year.
When I was brainstorming
ideas for what I wanted the
theme to be for The Observer
News Enterprise’s football special
section this fall, I thought I would
try to build some excitement, but
also make it more interactive.
Enter the “Madden” theme.
For those of you who don’t
know, EA Sports has a vote each
year deciding which NFL athlete
will be on the cover of their company’s flagship football video
game named after former
Oakland Raiders coach and NFL
broadcaster John Madden.
I know the “Madden” video
game is extremely popular
among many young people,
especially those who play high
school football, and even myself.
Four athletes from each
Catawba County high school
were nominated by their head
coaches for our football section
“cover vote.”
These four football players
O-N-E Sports editor
Cody Dalton
were then voted on by not only
their classmates, but their
communities for a week to
decide who would adorn the
cover of The O-N-E’s 2015
football preview.
After all was “said and done,”
seven athletes emerged as the
winners from their school —
Bandys’ Josh Strausser, Bunker
Hill’s Josh Mateyunas, Foard’s
Zander Toy, Hickory’s Zach
Walker, Maiden’s Zay Huff,
Newton-Conover’s Gage Baldwin
and St. Stephens’ Carter Polster.
As a reward for being a cover
vote nominee, I decided to
reward all four athletes from
each high school by taking their
picture and placing them atop
their team’s high school football
previews, which are featured in
the next few pages.
I’d like to thank everyone for
making this “cover vote” a true
success. More than 7,000 total
votes were cast.
So, how will this prep football
season turn out?
Can Bandys, Bunker Hill,
Newton-Conover or Maiden end
the reign of East Lincoln in the
Southern District 7?
Will Fred T. Foard, Hickory or
St. Stephens break through in the
Northwestern 3A/4A?
Only time will tell, but the long
journey through this fall football
season should be a fun and
exciting one as always.
Cody Dalton is an award-winning
columnist and the sports editor
at The Observer News Enterprise. He
can be reached at onesports@
observernewsonline.com
A BREAKDOWN OF THE 2015 O-N-E COVER VOTE TOTALS
O-N-E GRAPHIC BY CIGI SPARKS
AUGUST 20, 2015
Northwestern 3A/4A
Preseason football coaches poll
Votes
1. Freedom (7)
49
2. S Caldwell (1) 41
3. Hibriten
35
4. Watauga
33
5. St. Stephens
23
6. Hickory
17
7. Foard
15
8. Patton
11
*First-place votes in parenthesis
Southern District 7 Athletic 2A
Preseason football coaches poll
Votes
1. East Lincoln (7) 49
2. Lincolnton 39
3. Maiden
35
T-4. Newton-Conover (1) 28
T-4. West Caldwell 28
6. Bandys
25
7. Bunker Hill 11
8. West Lincoln 9
*First-place votes in parenthesis
Football Preview
3
LEFT PHOTO BY GENE LEATHERMAN/THEONLINEVIEW.COM
RIGHT PHOTO BY TONYA HOLMES
Freedom running back B.J. Emmons (5) and
East Lincoln quarterback Chazz Surratt (12) lead
their respective teams on the football field this
fall. Both the Patriots and Mustangs were
selected first in a preseason coaches poll in
the Northwestern 3A/4A and
conferences, respectively.
Emmons is a University of
Alabama commit, while
Surratt has committed to
the University of
North Carolina.
Football Preview
4
O-N-E PHOTOS/GRAPHIC BY CODY DALTON
From left, Gage Baldwin, Cameron
Stanley, Tyler Church and Alex
Johnson lead the Newton-Conover
football team this fall.
Red Devils are hungry, athletic
BY CODY DALTON
O-N-E SPORTS EDITOR
Entering Matt Beam’s second year as head coach,
the Newton-Conover football team is growing.
“This group is still learning,” said Beam, who
went 7-4-1 in his first season as Red Devils coach.
“We kind of jumped in last year, and we had some
success early. We kind of faltered a little bit at the
end. It maybe didn’t end the way we thought it was
going to end or wanted it to end, of course. I think
some of that is attributed to still working with
some new stuff and doing some new things.
“I don’t know if we were tough enough last year,”
he added.“We have developed a sense of toughness
to us and some drive. I feel like this group has got a
little bit of a nastier side to them. I’m excited to see
that.”
Newton-Conover will have plenty of holes to fill
this fall, but not at the quarterback position, where
Cameron Stanley is entering his third season under
center as a senior.
Stanley threw for a Catawba County-high 2,048
yards and 25 touchdowns last season.
“You always feel good when you have your quarterback back,” Beam said.“This is my 11th year as a
head coach, and (Stanley) is my fifth quarterback.
Cameron is going into his second year in our system. I’ve been blessed with that. I’m excited to see
the progress of Cameron. He is still learning. People
kind of forget that he went to a totally new offense
within a matter of months when I took over at
Newton. Last year was a total learning curve for
him. He is still learning things. I’m excited to see his
maturation. I think he’ll do really well.”
Paired with Stanley is talented senior wide
receiver Alex Johnson, who had 778 receiving yards
and 11 touchdowns last fall.
“Alex has put on some weight,and it’s really good
weight for him,” Beam said.“He looks like a different player out there. He was very athletic and quick
last year. I think he kept that same athletic ability,
See RED DEVILS, Page 22
AUGUST 20, 2015
Football Preview
AUGUST 20, 2015
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Football Preview
6
From left, Jarrett Pemleton, Austin
Fulbright, Josh Strausser and Tyler Black
lead the Bandys football team this fall.
Trojans need new faces to step up
BY CODY DALTON
O-N-E SPORTS EDITOR
With only five returning players on offense and
defense on his Bandys football team, head coach
Trent Lowman has his work cut out for him in 2015.
Despite the low return,Lowman sees some of last
year’s Trojan football team in this year’s squad.
“We’re similar to how we were last year in that if
we can stay healthy and our guys are tough enough
to play the whole game on both sides of the ball, I
think we can be a pretty decent football team,” he
said. “We said that going into last year, and we did
everything, but stay healthy. A bunch of people
stepped up, and we managed to beat a lot of teams.”
Of those five returnees, two — Josh Strausser
and Ryan Day — are offensive linemen.
“We’ve got a lot of lineman back that took some
significant varsity snaps, but that’s all we have back
that took a lot of varsity snaps,” Lowman said.“We
have 11 total seniors, and their playing time was hit
and miss last year. We’re going to count on a lot of
guys whose main playing experience has been jun-
ior varsity football. There’s not a whole lot of varsity snaps. It could be really good or it could be the
other way. We’ll see how it goes.”
The Trojans will continue to run the football like
they have in recent years, led by Jarrett Pemleton,
who tallied a team-high 740 yards and six touchdowns on the ground last fall.
Pemleton, who pairs with fellow senior running
back Austin Fulbright, will also have some playing
time at quarterback.
“We’re going to run the football and pound the
football with those guys,” Lowman said. “(Our
offense) is kind of pieced together. Guys have got to
step up, grow up and mature this year.”
Defensively, the Trojans have only one player
back — Fulbright at linebacker — meaning there
will be a lot of opportunities for younger players to
step up into major roles.
“Physically, they are ready,” Lowman said of his
younger athletes.“Mentally,they have got to be ready.”
A strong mentality by those players will help
during conference season,where the Trojans play
See TROJANS, Page 21
AUGUST 20, 2015
Football Preview
AUGUST 20, 2015
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Football Preview
8
AUGUST 20, 2015
From left, Dijoun Huitt, Josh Mateyunas, Derrick Artis and Bernie Briley lead
the Bunker Hill football team this fall.
Bears have a lot to prove in 2015
BY CODY DALTON
O-N-E SPORTS EDITOR
Travis Conner will admit that last season was the
toughest of his coaching career at Bunker Hill.
“We knew last year was going to be rough anyway, but you throw into that all of the tragedy,”
Conner said of the deaths of three Bunker Hill
students, including junior varsity football player
Austin Hedrick.
A year after winning eight games and reaching
the playoffs, the Bears’ varsity squad went 0-11 last
fall — its first winless season since 2007.
“It wasn’t about football anymore,” Conner said.
“Our varsity players couldn’t deal with it, and they
just absolutely shut down.”
Hope was on the horizon,though,with a group of
young, hungry Bunker Hill junior varsity players,
who won their conference championship with a
perfect 7-0 record.
“Our younger group rallied around the three
sophomores that died,” Conner said. “They had
something to play for. I think they still do.”
In tribute of Hedrick’s memory, Conner has
listed the late sophomore on his varsity roster and
will continue to until his current group of juniors
graduates.
“You come in our locker room, and Austin’s locker is still there,” Conner said. “It hasn’t been
touched. His helmet is still in the same place. His
cleats are still in the same place. His shoulder pads
are in the same place. Every time our kids get
together and break it down at the end of practice or
something, nine times out of 10 they break it down
to ‘92’ (Hedrick’s number), and not just to him, but
to Justin (Turner) and Alec (Sigmon), as well, who
were part of the Bunker Hill family. It was tragic for
our school, community and team.”
After seeing their fire and desire last fall, Conner
is excited about prospects of his junior varsity
group, but realizes there will be plenty of room to
grow.
See BEARS, Page 20
Football Preview
AUGUST 20, 2015
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Football Preview
10
From left, Jordan Clarke, Zander Toy, John Collins and Cameron
Wilfong lead the Fred T. Foard football team this fall.
Harper optimistic about Tigers
BY CODY DALTON
O-N-E SPORTS EDITOR
Despite losing 29 seniors off a playoff team a year
ago, Fred T. Foard head football coach Tom Harper
is optimistic heading into the Tigers’ 2015 high
school football season — his 29th as a coach.
“I like this group. I really do,” Harper said. “I
think they are tough. I think they are hungry. I
think they are passionate. I think they had a taste of
winning, and they want to continue with that. This
is my kind of football team. I really enjoy them. I
like going to practice. I don’t think there are any
big, huge egos. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy last
year’s team because I did, but this team has a lot
more to prove. I think they have taken on ownership of that responsibility.”
Perhaps the biggest of the 29 holes left to fill for
Harper and his staff is that of quarterback Matt
Williams — an East Tennessee State University
signee, who tallied 2,852 yards of total offense and
30 touchdowns last season.
Stepping into his starting role is Zander Toy — a
senior who started for the Tigers two seasons ago
after Williams broke his left leg in the 2013 season
opener against Maiden.
“I think everybody is saying ‘how is our offense
going to be after Matt? I think Zander brings to the
table different things,” Harper said.“One of them is
he is very loyal. He is very understanding of his
role.If he can run the offense like we are asking him
to, good things will happen.
“I’m not asking him to do anything flashy,”
Harper added. “He’ll do flashy things just by running the offense. He is a smart young man who is
very competitive and has worked his butt off. He
doesn’t have to question anything he has done
because he has worked his butt off to get where he
is. I feel very good about the (quarterback) position.”
Perhaps the player Harper has been impressed
with the most during this preseason is sophomore
running back Tate Beaver.
See TIGERS, Page 21
AUGUST 20, 2015
Football Preview
AUGUST 20, 2015
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828-428-2451
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Football Preview
AUGUST 20, 2015
PHOTO BY PHIL ROBINSON/SPORTSFOTOS
Chris Shaffer (12) and the LenoirRhyne football team were
selected to finish in first place in
the South Atlantic Conference by
the coaches of the SAC.
LR picked to finish first in SAC
FROM O-N-E REPORTS
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne University football team was voted
first in the 2015 South Atlantic Conference preseason poll. The poll is voted on
by the league’s eight head coaches.
Lenoir-Rhyne, who went 11-1 last year under first-year head coach Ian Shields, received
six of the eight first-place votes for a total of 55 points. The Bears are coming off their
first perfect regular season in 52 years last fall.
Carson-Newman was picked second with two first-place votes and 51 total points.
Lenoir-Rhyne was the top seed in the region last fall for the second-straight season
and finished the year ranked No. 8 in the nation. In addition, the Bears went a perfect
7-0 in league play for the second-straight year.
Lenoir-Rhyne also set an NCAA Div. II single-season rushing record (416.2 ypg) in
2014 and returns a total of 16 starters on offense, defense and special teams.
The Bears open the 2015 season against West Chester on Thursday, Sep. 3, in West
Chester, Pa., at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcasted nationally on ESPN3.
The contest is a rematch of a national semifinal game in 2013. The Golden Rams
went 11-2 last year, earning a playoff berth and finishing the season ranked No. 15
in NCAA Div. II.
The Bears' first home game is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, against CarsonNewman. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
2015 South Atlantic Conference
preseason football coaches poll
1. Lenoir-Rhyne (6) - 55 votes
2. Carson-Newman (2) - 51 votes
3. Newberry - 39 votes
4. Catawba - 37 votes
5. Tusculum - 30 votes
T-6. Mars Hill - 27 votes
T-6. Wingate - 27 votes
8. Brevard - 14 votes
* first-place votes in parenthesis
Lenoir-Rhyne 2015
football schedule
Sept. 3 at West Chester (Pa.), 6 p.m.
Sept. 12 at No. Greenville (S.C.), 7 p.m.
Sept. 19 at Tusculum (Tenn.), 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 at Limestone (S.C.), 7 p.m.
Oct. 3 vs. Carson-Newman, 2 p.m.
Oct. 10 vs. Univ. of Faith, 2 p.m.
Oct. 17 vs. Wingate (HC), 2 p.m.
Oct. 24 at Mars Hill, 1 p.m.
Oct. 31 vs. Newberry, 2 p.m.
Nov. 7 vs. Brevard, 2 p.m.
AUGUST 20, 2015
Football Preview
Carolina Panthers 2015 schedule
Sept. 13 at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. FOX
Sept. 20 vs. Houston, 1 p.m. CBS
Sept. 27 vs. New Orleans, 1 p.m. FOX
Oct. 4 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. FOX
Oct. 11 - BYE WEEK
Oct. 18 at Seattle, 4:05 p.m. FOX
Oct. 25 vs. Philadelphia,
8:30 p.m. NBC
Nov. 2 vs. Indianapolis,
8:30 p.m. ESPN
Nov. 8 vs. Green Bay, 1 p.m. FOX
Nov. 15 at Tennessee,
1 p.m. FOX
Nov. 22 vs. Washington,
1 p.m. FOX
Nov. 26 at Dallas, 4:30 p.m. CBS
Dec. 6 at New Orleans, 1 p.m. FOX
Dec. 13 vs. Atlanta, 1 p.m. FOX
Dec. 20 at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. FOX
Dec. 27 at Atlanta, 1 p.m. FOX
Jan. 3, 2016 vs. Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. FOX
O-N-E PHOTO BY SETH MABRY
Fullback Mike Tolbert (35)
and the Carolina Panthers
are seeking their thirdstraight NFC South division
title this season.
13
Football Preview
14
From left, Zaveon McCluney, Zach
Walker, Mykell Linebarger and
Khalid Muhammed lead the
Hickory football team this fall.
Wittenberg era starts at Hickory
BY CODY DALTON
O-N-E SPORTS EDITOR
Entering his first season as the head coach of the
Hickory High football team, Allen Wittenberg was
recently asked if this will be rebuilding season for
the Red Tornadoes, who are coming off a 1-10
record in 2014.
His response was simple, but to the point.
“I told them that I had 13 seniors that don’t get a
chance to rebuild,” he said. “I’m trying to do the
best job I can for them right now. I want to win
today because those kids don’t get a chance to
rebuild.”
Wittenberg was hired Jan.26 to be the next leader
of the Red Tornadoes program — the team’s fourth
head coach in the past five seasons.
A graduate of Hickory High School, Wittenberg
wants to build some stability in his program.
“This is the last job I want,” he said.“I don’t look
at this as coming to Hickory so I can find another
job. This is the end job for me. This is where I want
to be and what I want. In a perfect world, I’ll ride
this thing out until I retire. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I’ve told this to the middle school kids,
too. I’m either going to get fired or I’m going to die.
Those are the two ways I’m going to get out.”
Returning to his Hickory roots has been a natural fit for Wittenberg, who was a head coach for the
first time in his career at Draughn last season.
“The good thing for me is this is where I grew
up,” he said. “I went to school here, and my dad
coached here for 28 years. I was an assistant here
for 11 years. My position is new, but being here is
not-so new for me. It’s home. It’s like finding your
favorite old T-shirt. You slip that thing right on. It’s
like you never left. It’s a special place for me, and it’s
not a place I look at as I’m going to leave.”
Wittenberg believes changing the culture at
Hickory boils down to one word — dedication.
“When you want to change that culture, it’s all
about establishing commitment,” he said. “Being a
part of Hickory High School, I’m a part of someSee TORNADOES, Page 22
AUGUST 20, 2015
Football Preview
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16
From left, Xzavion Huff, Caleb Farley, Brian Barnett and Brock
Wright lead the Maiden football team this fall.
Maiden searches for consistency
BY CODY DALTON
O-N-E SPORTS EDITOR
Following four-straight seasons of eight or more
victories, a young Maiden football team struggled
in 2014.
Entering a new season, the Blue Devils are much
more experienced and are searching for more
consistency in 2015.
“We’d like to get to the point where, by the time
we play East Lincoln, that we are contending for a
championship at the point,” said Blue Devils head
coach Frank Snider. “They are awful good, so we’d
like to get to a point where we are contending and
putting ourselves in that place.”
Entering his fourth season as head coach, Snider
admits that he feels more comfortable than he did
last year at this time.
“I think we are a little further along,” he said.“We
played a lot of sophomores last year. They’ve grown
up and are more experienced. We are a little more
dedicated than we were before. We know that we
didn’t meet the expectations that we had last year. I
think our expectations are higher this year. With a
lot of the good people that we have back,we feel like
we can be really good and maybe take it to the next
level in the playoffs and go deeper.”
Included in those sophomores of a season ago
are current juniors in quarterback Caleb Farley and
running back Xzavion Huff.
Both players accounted for more than 3,700
yards of total offense and 42 touchdowns in 2014.
Despite their explosive talent, Snider is hoping
not to rely so heavily on the Blue Devil tandem.
“Those two players are going to get the majority
of the touches, but we’ve got to also spread some
other touches out,” Snider said. “We’ve got some
other receivers coming back.
“Our offense has to be more consistent,” he
added.“I think we have to be able to throw the ball
a little better. We have to be able to make better
decisions with the football. We’ve got to cut down
on the turnovers we had last year, which were critSee BLUE DEVILS, Page 23
AUGUST 20, 2015
Football Preview
AUGUST 20, 2015
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Football Preview
18
From left, Ivan Reyes, Carter Polster, Josh
Merrill and Spencer Brown lead the St.
Stephens football team this fall.
Indians hope to take the next step
BY CODY DALTON
O-N-E SPORTS EDITOR
There are high hopes for the St. Stephens football
team this fall with talks of the Indians making their
first playoff appearance since 2011.
“We are optimistic,” said head coach Wayne
Hicks, who is entering his third season with the
Indians. “Our goals are to have a winning season,
which hasn’t been accomplished in quite some
time, and to get into the 3A playoffs. Those are our
big two goals. I told our seniors that this is a mark
they can leave on our campus. It hasn’t been done
in a long time.”
Football players at St. Stephens are playing with
heavy hearts this fall after the loss of teammate
David Saine, who died June 9 when an 18-wheeler
struck his red Ford Mustang in the driver’s side.
“It’s a close-knit senior group,” Hicks said.
“They’ve been impacted by losing David. This is a
really close-knit football team.”
Hicks believes conditioning, which he has
emphasized in his program since being hired in
2013, will be a big factor on the field this fall.
“We’re going to have some kids playing both
ways, so we’re going to have to be in great shape,”
he said. “We’ve made some very big gains in the
weight room.We’re going to have to rely on our line
of scrimmage players — both offensively and
defensively. That’s our strong suits, so to speak, for
our team.”
Hicks said a big strength of his team will be its
offense, which is led by third-year quarterback
Spencer Brown, who tallied 1,737 total yards of
offense and 19 touchdowns a season ago.
“Spencer is a very solid quarterback and a
tremendous leader,” Hicks said. “This will be his
third year as a starter for us in this system.I’ve been
real pleased with him since the start. In any stage of
his development have I ever been disappointed in
him. He is going to have to step up for us and be a
key player for us to proceed forward.”
Another key for St. Stephens is protecting the
See INDIANS, Page 20
AUGUST 20, 2015
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AUGUST 20, 2015
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828-464-0817
Football Preview
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AUGUST 20, 2015
Bears
CONTINUED FROM 8
“Obviously, the transition from JV to
varsity is a big jump, and you never know
how that’s going to take place with any
given team or any given individual,” he
said. “Some of them will be able to come
up and thrive. Some of them that thrived
on the JV team aren’t going to thrive on
the varsity team.”
“They have a lot of potential, but potential isn’t anything until you go out there
and actually prove it at the varsity level,”
Conner added.“We have a lot to prove.”
That youth will mix with a group of veteran leadership that includes running
back Dijoun Huitt, who rushed for 600
yards and eight touchdowns a season ago.
“He didn’t have a very good year last
year,”Conner said of Huitt, who ran for 562
yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore.
“He stayed injured most of the year and
was hobbling on one foot most of the year.
He had a real good year as a sophomore on
a real good team. He didn’t have a really
good year last year on a bad team. He has
a lot of character about him. He is a very
high character kid and a hard-working
kid. We look for him to have a really good
year this year.”
Overall, though, Conner believes this
year’s team will be led by its play on both
sides of the line.
“I think the strength of our team will be
offensive and defensive line play,” he said.
“Our offensive and defensive line are
going to be physical. We’ll be a lot bigger
than we were last year and a lot more
physical than we have been.”
OFFENSE
Scheme: Spread Single Wing
Returning players: RB Dijoun Huitt, WR
Derrick Artis, TE Josh Mateyunas, OL Josh
Lonca, RB Darrell Moss
2014 JV players now on varsity to watch:
QB Bernie Briley, QB Seth Miller, WR
Devin Caldwell
DEFENSE
Scheme: 50
Returning players: DL Josh Mateyunas,
LB Scotty Martin, LB Darrell Moss
DB Bernie Briley, LB Seth Miller, DE Devin
Caldwell
It will be a successful
2015 season if....
Turning point for your
team this season?
“We make improvements in every
aspect of the football game — offense,
defense and kicking game,” Conner said.
“We compete every Friday night. Some
Friday nights last year, we didn’t compete
for a variety of different reasons, but we
just didn’t compete. If our kids go out and
compete, we’ll win our share of games.
Wins and losses will take care of themselves, but we have to go out and compete
every Friday night. There’s probably not
another league in the state of North
Carolina — 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A — where you
play a potential state champion every
Friday night or a program that has had a
state championship run every Friday night
or has the kind of tradition of an East
Lincoln, of a Lincolnton, of a Maiden, of a
Newton-Conover, of a Bandys that have
been to the ‘big game.’ From a school that
doesn’t have that kind of tradition at
Bunker Hill, we have to be doggone good.”
“East Lincoln is above everyone else in
our league, obviously,” Conner said. “I
think right below East Lincoln is
Lincolnton. I think anybody in our league
— I don’t care who it is — is going to have
to play a special ball game to beat one of
those two.Are they unbeatable? No, they’re
not unbeatable, but you are going to have
to play a special ball game to beat them. I
think everybody else is on par. I don’t
think anybody is head and shoulders over
anybody else in those other six. That being
said, I don’t think anybody is head and
shoulders below anybody else in those
other six. I think any given Friday night
anybody can beat anybody. That’s what we
have to get to our kids. Whoever prepares
the best, whoever works the hardest, whoever stays free of injury and makes the
fewest mistakes can win any Friday night.”
Indians
CONTINUED FROM 18
football when the Indians have possession.
“I was proud of our team last year for not turning it
over a lot,” Hicks said. “We’ve got to continue to do that.
We’ve got to control the football against some of these
teams that have a lot of speed, can throw it around and get
down the field on you real fast. We’ve got to control the
clock and control the football and have it in our possession. That’s the way for us to go if we want to win.”
The Indians changed defensive schemes — from a multiple 50 to a 4-3 —in the offseason after giving up 429
points to opponents last season (39 ppg.).
That total was the second-most in the Northwestern
3A/4A behind only rival Hickory (453).
“From our skill set, we think it matches us up a little
better because we have more lineman,” Hicks said of the
new 4-3 scheme. “We didn’t slow too many people down
last year. So, we had to do something. We’re feeling much
more comfortable with that development on the defensive
side.We still have a long ways to go,but we feel good about
the steps we’ve taken so far.”
While other coaches may look at a Northwestern 3A/4A
conference filled with multiple tests, Hicks is trying to
keep the focus on improving his team.
“It’s a very competitive conference and a very good
conference,” he said.“We’re worried more about ourselves
than other people.At least I do.I’d say the morale has been
good, even when we’ve been struggling. I’ve been very
proud of these kids for hanging in there. The effort has
always been there. I’m proud of my football team.We were
very competitive last year in almost all of our games.
We’re hoping to take that next step, win a few more and
have a winning season.”
OFFENSE
Scheme: Multiple Wing T
Returning players: QB Spencer Brown, OL Ivan Reyes,
OL Carter Polster, OL Bryson Arrowood, OL Wanya
Rankins
2014 JV players now on varsity to watch: FB Devan
Robinson, RB Amos Brown
DEFENSE
Scheme: 4-3
Returning players: DB Josh Merrill, DB Zedrick
Williams, LB Brannon Holsclaw, LB Jesse Houston, DL
Rafael Orozco
2014 JV players now on varsity to watch: DB Amos
Brown, DL Dawson Lail
team this season?
“I think the start of the season is going to be key for us
to get some positive mojo going, so to speak,” Hicks said.
“They are all important, but I feel like our non-conference
schedule is very important this year.”
2015 season if....
“We have a winning season, and we get in the playoffs,”
Hicks said. “Of course, have good team chemistry and
good morale. As far as putting numbers on things, it’d be
for us to get into the playoffs and have a winning season.
I think they are attainable.”
Football Preview
AUGUST 20, 2015
Trojans
Tigers
CONTINUED FROM 10
“He has a great future, and I think he is
tough mentally,which will help us,”Harper
said of Beaver. “There is no secret that if
we don’t run the football, we’re not going
to be very good. We have to control the
football. If we can control the football and
secure the football, we’re going to be fine.”
Harper has also been impressed by the
Tigers’ receiving trio of Khalil Green,
Dwight Shade and Austin Rudisill.
“This year, where I see us being better
than a lot of people think we haven’t been
in the past is at wideout,” Harper said.“We
have three there that I think are pretty
dang good. (Green, Shade and Rudisill) are
three kids that are three different type
players, but formulate one great package.
We’ve got Austin, who is a great possession
guy with great hands. We’ve got Dwight,
who gives us the deep threat. We’ve got
Khalil, who gives us the deep threat inside,
but also is a guy that can play in space.”
Just as he did a season ago, Harper is
trying to utilize his players on one side of
the ball or the other, but there have been
some exceptions.
“We’re still trying to be as best as we can
two platoon without hurting ourselves,” he
said.
After four non-conference games
against Maiden, Bandys, Bunker Hill and
West Lincoln, Foard starts its
Northwestern 3A/4A schedule against
Freedom, who many consider to be the
favorite in not only the conference, but
potentially a 3A state title contender.
The Patriots are led by Alabama commit
in running back B.J. Emmons.
Top to bottom, Harper said the
Northwestern 3A/4A is one of the toughest
conferences in the state.
“You’ve got Freedom, who is going to be
very good,”he said.“Hibriten is going to be
very good. Watauga is going to be very
good with their quarterback coming back.
South Caldwell is always going to be really
good just because it’s tradition now. It’s
going to be tough. You’ve got four or five
teams that are pretty dang good. I don’t
know where we’ll land. All I know is there
isn’t a ‘gimme’ anywhere. Freedom is probably one of the best football teams in the
state. So is Watauga. They’ve proven that.
Hibriten is — year in and year out —
competitive, if not in the top echelon of 3A
football teams.”
As for his prospects for the 2015 Fred T.
Foard football season, Harper is taking a
21
simple approach.
“We never know what the outcome of
the journey is, but I’m going to enjoy the
journey,” he said.
OFFENSE
Scheme: Spread
Returning players: OL Tate Bumgarner,
WR Khalil Green, OL Jordan Clarke, OL
Grant Deal
WR Dwight Shade, TE Spencer Miller, RB
Tate Beaver, WR Austin Rudisill
DEFENSE
Scheme: 4-3
Returning players: DL Cameron Wilfong,
DL Jordan Player, DB Chaynse Faust, LB
Chayson Faust, DL John Collins
DB Joel Gosda
team this season?
“The turning point is at Maiden — the
first game,” Harper said. “I think that we
are in a position where we need to come
out and be as competitive as we can be
immediately. It’s going to be tough. I don’t
see any time during the season that is pivotal for us — maybe open week. Hopefully
by then we won’t have to ‘lick our wounds.’
It will be a successful 2015 season if....
“We will be who we,” Harper said.“If we
won’t allow ourselves to compare us to
other Foard football teams or other football teams in general. If we will play within the confines of the offense and defense.
If we will be passionate and care about
each other and formulate a team chemistry, we will be very competitive. If we
don’t do those things, we won’t be very
competitive. It’s that simple. This football
team needs to understand that. They can’t
take any shortcuts. They are going to have
to spend some quality time with each
other and love and care for each other and
accept each other for who they are. We
need to be who we are and not be anyone
else. If we can do that, we’ll be fine.”
CONTINUED FROM 6
against
county
rivals
Maiden, Newton-Conover,
Bunker Hill and defending
state champion East Lincoln.
“(The Southern District
7) is definitely a top 2A conference in the state,”
Lowman said. “There’s no
doubt about that.When you
look, there are always one
or two teams from our conference deep in the playoffs.
There’s always somebody
from our conference in the
state championship game it
seems like almost every
year.If it’s not,it’s close to it.
The competition is there.
There is not a night off.
Looking at the schedule
and talking to the coaches, I
think everybody in the conference probably got better
from last year to this year.
There is never a week off.
There are good football
teams, good football play-
ers and a lot of good coaches in our league.”
OFFENSE
Scheme: Wishbone
Returning players: RB/QB
Jarrett Pemleton, OL Josh
Strausser, RB Austin
Fulbright, OL Ryan Day
2014 JV players now on varsity to watch: WR Justin
Wambold, WR Dee Kiser
DEFENSE
Scheme: 3-4
Returning players: LB
Austin Fulbright, DB Jarrett
Pemleton
2014 JV players now on varsity to watch: DB Justin
Wambold, DB Dee Kiser
team this season?
“It’s one week at a time,”
Lowman said. “Every
Monday is a new day. We go
Monday through Friday.
When that game is done, we
wash our hands, and we go
to the next one. We don’t
look at a schedule that way.
For us,South Caldwell is our
first game, and we’re going
to look at South Caldwell.
When that one is over, we’ll
look at the next one.”
2015 season if....
“We play a lot of our
county teams at home this
year, and it would be good
to repeat beating those
guys again and get into the
playoffs and make a little
run,” Lowman said.
Football Preview
22
Tornadoes
Red Devils
CONTINUED FROM 14
thing that’s bigger than me. I’m a part of that
legacy, and they are, too.”
Wittenberg also wants his players to accept
personal responsibility.
“The guy that we’ve got to beat every day is
that man in the mirror,” he said.“We’ve got to
beat that guy. He’s the guy that knows the
truth. We can’t lie to him when we look in the
mirror. We need to make that guy happy.”
After two seasons in the Twin I Spread, the
Red Tornadoes will shift their offense under
Wittenberg to a Shotgun Wing T this season.
“We’ll have some under center stuff, too,
but (the Shotgun Wing T) allows us to put a
few more of our athletes on the field and
gives us a chance to spread it out” Wittenberg
said.
Defensively, Hickory moves from a 4-3 to a
3-4 scheme, which Wittenberg believes better
suits his squad.
“With the amount of teams we’re going to
see in the spread, I just like being in a threeman front because I feel like it helps us be
balanced a little bit better,” he said. “We’re
going to play a lot of games out of that.
Defensively for us, I think it’s going to come
down to being able to get off the field and creating some turnovers.”
The Red Tornadoes will be tested early and
often in the 2015 season with games against
Statesville, South Iredell, Newton-Conover
and Hunter Huss in the non-conference slate.
“We can go play well in those four games,
and we may still walk out of there 0-4,” he
said. “I think the same thing in our league.
Freedom, South Caldwell, Hibriten — you’re
going to have to bring your ‘A’ game. Tom
Harper does a great job at Foard of getting his
guys ready. Wayne Hicks is going to have his
guys ready at St. Stephens.You don’t get an off
night in our league from top to bottom.”
OFFENSE
Scheme: Shotgun Wing-T
Returning players: WR Zach Walker, RB
Zaveon McCluney, OL Elijah Gutierrez, OL
Caleb Stoots, TE Khalid Muhammed, OL Dylan
Johnson
2014 JV players now on varsity to watch: QB
Darrien Phillips, RB Izaak Millsaps, WR
Jaekwon Staten, OL Jalil Thompson, OL Dalton
Setzer
DEFENSE
Scheme: 3-4
AUGUST 20, 2015
CONTINUED FROM 4
Returning players: DB Zach Walker, LB
Zaveon McCluney, DE Khalid Muhammed, LB
Javeon Simon
2014 JV players now on varsity to watch: DB
Darrien Phillips, LB Izaak Millsaps, DB
Jaekwon Staten, DL Jalil Thompson, DL Dalton
Setzer
team this season?
“So much of that is going to depend on
some early stuff,” Wittenberg said. “I don’t
know if I can look at one game and say ‘that’s
going to be the turning point.’ I think one of
our biggest games will be Sept. 25 in our conference opener against Patton. I just want to
kind of see where we are at and see if we’ve
progressed up to that point. By the time we get
there, in a lot of ways, we’re going to be who we
are. We’ll have a chance to clean some things
up, but I think so much of it is going to depend
on who we have healthy. What’s our identity at
that point? Who are we? I think that’s going to
be a big game that I’d point to. Right after
Patton, we have Freedom and South Caldwell
on back-to-back weeks. I don’t know if I can
pick any one game. That’d be really difficult.
We’ve got to go on the road the last two games
at Watauga and at Hibriten. I’d like to go on the
road at that point knowing that those games
meant something. I think they will be.”
2015 season if....
“There are probably two things I would say,”
Wittenberg said. “Number one, I want to be
playing that second week of November. I want
to know we got into the postseason. That’s a
big goal that we have is to get into the postseason. Number two is if you took a snapshot of
us on Aug. 21 when we play Statesville and you
took a snapshot of us Nov. 6 when we are playing Hibriten, what’s the difference? How much
better of a football team are we? If we continue to grow and progress, I think a lot of those
things will take care of themselves. I just don’t
want to regress. I want to know on that last
playing date in November that at that point in
the 2015 season we have the best Hickory High
football team we’ve put on the field. I think
that’ll answer a lot of questions about commitment and guys really buying in. If we can say
we are better on Nov. 6 then to me that is a success, and we are going to get there.”
but he’s put on 15 pounds probably.
Now, I think he can break even more
tackles than he broke last year. The
ball is going to have to be in his hands
a good portion of the time. We’re
going to expect Alex to make some big
plays for us and score some points for
us. He has enough ability to certainly
do that.”
Not only has Beam been impressed
with Stanley and Johnson, but also the
leadership from his front five.
“I’ve been really pleased with our
offensive line, and coach (Steven)
Pack does an fantastic job with them,”
Beam said. “It’s led by two leaders of
the team in Tyler Church and Gage
Baldwin. Those guys are really good
players up front for us. They make all
the calls. They understand the offense.
They aren’t just blocking people. They
are understanding where the ball is
going and how they need to position
themselves. They are doing a fantastic
job.”
The Red Devils have some major
holes on offense, though, including
the graduation of running back Blake
Roberts (1,215 rushing yards, 18 TDs).
Beam has been using a combination of seniors Chris Payne and
Tyreke Adams and 2014 JV running
back Tylor Stinson to fill the void.
The second-year head coach has
been particularly impressed with
Stinson.
“He’s had a fantastic summer for
us,” Beam said. “We’re excited about
him. (Payne and Adams) don’t have a
lot of weight on them. Tylor is a big
kid that can run. He’s probably about
215 pounds. We’re still going to tinker
with our running game and get different people some carries. It’s still early.
I don’t want us to peak too fast.”
Beam and his staff also had to
replace their top two wideouts in Elon
signee Josh Ramseur (567 receiving
yards, seven TDs) and Tusculum
signee Jalen Connor (407 receiving
yards, seven TDs).
Josha’ Propst, Jake Hayman and
Jhaheim Mullen are all competing for
playing time at wide receiver.
Although young, Beam has seen
flashes of talent from Mullen.
“I’ve coached a long time, and
(Mullen) is probably the best fresh-
man I’ve ever coached,” Beam said.
“He has great ball skills. He is hungry.
He is athletic. He is excited about playing.”
Beam admits the biggest hole on his
team is defense, which only returns
one player (Adams) after graduating
10 seniors.
However,a plethora of young talent,
including defensive linemen Tyzaiah
Eller and James Herron, linebackers
Tylier Farley and Janniah Propst and
defensive backs Jashon Propst and
Sayvion Proctor, have mixed with
senior linebackers Casey Catchings,
Edgar Dominguez, Hayes Elliott and
Payne and senior defensive back
Josha’ Propst to fill those departures.
“We are replacing (our defense)
with some kids who are very, very
hungry,” Beam said.“They are excited
to play. They have a desire to play. I
think that’s half of the battle. We’ve
just got to get them in the right spots
and get them running to the football.”
OFFENSE
Scheme: Spread
Returning players: QB Cameron
Stanley, WR Alex Johnson, OT Gage
Baldwin, OT Tyler Church, WR Tyreke
Adams
2014 JV players now on varsity to
watch: WR Jake Hayman,WY Jhaheim
Mullen, RB Tylor Stinson
DEFENSE
Scheme: 3-4
Returning players: DB Josha’ Propst
2014 JV players now on varsity to
watch: LB Tylier Farley, DL James
Herron
team this season?
“I don’t know about a turning point
because it’s hard to have a turning
point when you haven’t started yet,”
Beam said. “We’ve got four non-conference games. We open up with
Football Preview
AUGUST 20, 2015
2014 FINAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Team
East Lincoln
Lincolnton
Bandys
Newton-Conover
Maiden
West Lincoln
Bunker Hill
Overall
16-0
11-3
8-4
7-4-1
5-8
4-7
0-11
Conference
7-0
6-1
5-2
4-3
2-5
2-5
0-7
Northwestern 3A/4A
Team
Freedom
South Caldwell
Watauga
Fred T. Foard
Hibriten
St. Stephens
Hickory
Patton
Overall
10-1-1
9-3
8-4
6-7
6-6
3-8
1-10
1-9
Highland Tech, but then we have
a really, really tough game
against Asheville the next week.If
we can show some success
against them and maybe pull one
off there, I think that’ll be really
good. I don’t think that’ll be a
turning point or anything. Once
conference starts, every game is
important and crucial. East
Lincoln is right there at the top,
but I think everyone else has
some good players that can make
plays.You’re going to have to play
every week with them.”
2015 season if....
“You have success if you do a
lot of things,” Beam said. “If you
win the conference championship, I think that’s a success.
That’s what we play for. That’s a
success there. If you don’t win a
Conference
7-0
6-1
5-2
4-3
3-4
2-5
1-6
0-7
conference championship, I don’t
think that’s not a success. I think
if you didn’t win the conference
championship, but you go to the
playoffs, win some playoff games
and see how far you can go, I
think you’ve had a successful
year. If you are determining wins
and losses, I think a successful
season is winning a conference
championship. That is what
everyone sets out to do. From
there, you just get ready and see
what happens. I think it’ll be a
successful year also if we play
well and make our fans, parents
and community proud. I think
it’ll also be a successful year if we
can get some kids in school.
There are many things you can
look at for success, but I think the
first one is being successful in
wins and losses.”
23
Blue Devils
CONTINUED FROM 16
ical.”
Aiding the Maiden attack is
depth at offensive line, led by
6-foot-6, 345-pound tackle Brock
Wright.
“I feel really good about our
offensive line right now,” Snider
said. “We have seven or eight
guys we really consider starters.
Any of those eight can be good
for us ... We’ve got good size up
front to block for (Farley and
Huff). We feel like they give us a
lot of depth in that offensive line.
Granted, we’re going to have to
use a lot of those people on
defense, too, but our ability to
rotate them in and out will help
us, too.”
While the offense may mostly
be figured out, the defense is the
big question mark for Snider and
his staff.
Last season, Maiden gave up
428 points (32.9 per game) — the
second-most in the Southern
District 7 behind only Bunker
Hill (594).
Snider made several changes
in the offseason to try to improve
defensively, including Robbie
Abernathy
replacing
Bill
Vaughan as the team’s defensive
coordinator.
The Blue Devils also changed
from the 4-3 scheme utilized on
defense last year to a using 4-2-5
set this fall.
Snider said his players are
getting used to the adjustment
defensively.
“Any time you make a change
in your defense, you’re using
some new terminology and
doing some new things,” Snider
said. “Right now, we’re trying to
polish those things up that we are
working on and make them a little better. Our players have
bought into that. They are working really hard to improve defensively, which is something we
said going into the season we
knew we had to do.
“(Abernathy) is a longtime
Maiden coach, and Robbie played
for me in the 1980s,” Snider
added.“He played basketball and
football. He also played quarterback for coach Tom Brown on a
couple of outstanding teams.
Robbie knows what it takes to
win.”
OFFENSE
Scheme: Spread
Returning players: QB Caleb
Farley,RB Xzavion Huff,OT Brian
Barnett, OT Brock Wright, G
Wyatt French, OT Logan Long,
WR Ty Williams
2014 JV players now on varsity
to watch: WR Keygan Mayfield,
WR Cole Drum, TE Zack Danney,
C Joesph Hatfield, TE Chase
Willis
DEFENSE
Scheme: 4-2-5
Returning players: LB Walt
Elmore, S Christian Shaw, DT
Brian Barnett,LB Nick Killian,DT
Brock Wright, DB Jake Harris
2014 JV players now on varsity
to watch: DE Hunter Moore, DB
Keygan Mayfield, DB Cole Drum,
LB Mautrice Bennett, DE Zack
Danney
team this season?
“I think the opening week is
always a tough week because
both teams are excited,” Snider
said. “Foard is an exciting week.
The next week we play a 3A
Hibriten team that has always
been tough. I think traveling up
there is a good challenge for our
team to play on the road. Two
road games in a row we have to
go to those places and play well.
Then we’ve got a week off, so we
come back and prepare for St.
Stephens at home and our first
home game. Then we’ve got an
always good South Caldwell
team. I think that South Caldwell
game is a big game for us back at
Maiden in that it will be a good
litmus test of where we are at that
point and time. After that fourth
game, we get ready to go into the
conference schedule, and it
should tell us where we are. Last
year, South Caldwell came down
and beat us. We really didn’t get
going until the second half. We
seemed a little behind and didn’t
play really well the rest of the season. The year before, we went up
there, beat them pretty handley
and then kind of rolled from that
point on. I see that as being a pivotal game. Conference-wise,
obviously Newton is a big game
for us because it’s Maiden and
Newton, and it’s the second conference game.It’s always kind of a
highlight. After that, we kind of
have to let the chips fall where
they may. Maiden-Bandys is
always Maiden-Bandys. It’s
always going to be exciting. I’d
just like to get to the point to
where we are in position to contend with East Lincoln for a conference championship like the
year before last and the last couple of years.”
2015 season if....
“We play up to our capabilities,” Snider said. “I think that’s
what our team wants. We want to
be play up to our capabilities. We
feel like we want to improve. It’ll
be a successful season if we
improve every week. If we
improve, if we are consistent and
if we play up to our capabilites,
we’ll be successful as far as wins
and losses. I feel like it’ll be successful if we can get to the playoffs and make a deeper run into
the playoffs. We’ve been in the
playoffs the last three years, but
we’d like to make a deeper run. I
think that really dictates some of
the success.”
24
Football Preview
AUGUST 20, 2015

Football Preview - The Observer News Enterprise

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