Preps Preview: Football
By Beth Mechum
Staff Writer
While a lot of high students spend their summers taking vacations or sleeping in, football players don’t have that luxury.
Drills and weights in the early morning are followed by play-book sessions and scrimmages in the late evening. While that does leave a lot of time in between for student-athletes to do what they want, generally what they want to do is rest in an air-conditioned room.
It’s a grind, but all that hard work will soon start showing results, as local high school teams prepare to begin the 2009 football season.
Chapel Hill High School will strive to build on a successful 2008 season, while Carrboro and East Chapel Hill hope to bounce back from losing campaigns.
Carrboro High School
This is really the first year in the Carrboro High School football team’s existence that it can be considered “experienced.†The first year, seniors had not yet been enrolled in the school. Last year, the roster continued to be comprised largely of sophomores.
And even this year, there are only six seniors. But while they may be lacking older players, the Jaguars are more than stocked in game minutes. Fourteen juniors on the team have played three years of varsity football. That experience should prove valuable as the team tries to get past being the newcomers, and is looking at being a genuine contending force.
Coach Jason Tudryn said the chemistry of the team is ahead of where it was last year, something that comes from a team growing up together. The Jaguars already showed their maturity last year by taking home the Mid-State 2-A sportsmanship team award.
Last year’s record: 1-10
Who’s here: Returning at quarterback is Derek Bryant, who Coach Tudryn said had an especially good offseason in preparation. Elected team captain Christian Lopez will need to play big at lineman, as well as making an impact in the locker room.
Who’s gone: No one meant more to a team last year than Mid-State 2-A Lineman of the Year Brandon Hunter did to Carrboro. The departure of Hunter, All-Conference honoree David Brooks and Cardin Jones will make for some big holes in the lineup.
Expectations: The Jaguars will really miss Hunter. This year should be another learning experience for the team, but the 2010 season is where the hard work should really start to pay off.
Chapel Hill High School
Chapel Hill High School will be faced with a new challenge this year, as it’s been moved to the 3-A Carolina 6 Conference. The Tigers previously played in the 4-A PAC-6.
And that’s not the only challenge being presented this season. Winston Washington is a first-year starting quarterback – and if that’s not daunting enough, he’ll also play on the other side of the ball as a cornerback.
That’s a lot of responsibility, though Washington hasn’t seemed to notice, thus far professing total confidence. He’ll have to prove himself as a leader this year to make sure this 2009 season is about who’s on the field and not the 22 seniors who are gone from last year’s team.
Last year’s record: 8-4
Who’s here: If the Tigers are going to see success this season, Washington will have to make a big impact, and that will mean connecting with returning wide receiver Kyle Duffy multiple times a game.
Who’s gone: Superstar athlete John Haus has moved on to play lacrosse at the University of Maryland, taking his experienced arm and game-management skills at quarterback with him. The intimidating presence of defensive giant Jared McAdoo will be missing (though he’ll still be in the area as a member of the UNC football team). Lineman Robert Crisp transferred to Raleigh Athens Drive and running back Stephen Moore graduated.
Expectations: It’s a relatively young team, but expect them to still stay strong with experienced Head Coach Issac Marsh at the helm. Last year’s team played with the death of Atlas Fraley on their minds, so a fresh start in a new conference should serve them well.
East Chapel Hill
East Chapel Hill Coach Darian Harris said he expects this year’s football team to improve on last season, when the team failed to win a game. But Harris said victories aren’t his measure of the team.
“My main thing is the kids getting better, learning the game of football and improving from week to week,†he said.
Harris said the team has a fun energy, and he’s hoping the relationships they’ve made off the field will make for great chemistry on it.
The Wildcats are a young team with mostly sophomores and juniors getting playing time, so Harris is expecting some bumps and bruises along the way, but expects mistakes to be cured by the third or fourth week.
Last year’s record: 0-11
Who’s here: The Wildcats have one of the best kicking teams in the state with punter Ethan Keyserling and kicker Thomas Moore. Receiver Aquez Willis also is expected to have a breakout year.
Who’s gone: Omar McFadden wore a number of hats on last year’s team and was probably the Wildcats’ best player.
Expectations: With a young team, the Wildcats could surprise a few conference rivals, but look for their overall inexperience to continue to show in the loss column.
All local teams begin their regular seasons on Friday. Carrboro will be hosting St. Paul’s High School at 7 p.m. Chapel Hill will be at South Granville at 7 p.m. And East Chapel Hill plays at Northwood at 7:30 p.m.
CHS jags played well on Friday night.
It is going to be an awesome season.
GO JAGS!