This season will be a change of pace on both sides of the ball, when it comes to SHS football.
For starters, the Yellow Jackets' will need to fill all three skill positions due to the graduation of quarterback Bryan Hayes, running back Keith Jones, and star wideout Dayron Johnson. This is certainly a tall order to fill, especially considering the staggering four to one ratio of freshman to seniors that attended camp this spring/summer. Head Coach and Athletic Director of Springfield High School, Dustin Wilson, harped on how important leadership from the upperclassmen will be this fall.
“It’s crucial in handing out team uniforms, it’s crucial in team meal. You can’t really put a number or a gauge on how crucial it is for football games.” Wilson added that “The juniors are going to have to lead a little bit as well“, due to the aforementioned lack of graduates on this team.
With the loss of Hayes at the helm for Springfield, the Jackets' have a lot of ground to cover (literally): the now-graduated QB threw for over 1800 yards and 30 touchdowns last year alone. In late June, Wilson was on the record for saying that Junior Kevontez Hudson has the edge at QB: I asked if their offensive scheme with Hudson will be similar to that of last season, and if there was any possibility of a dual quarterback system this year.
“I will tell you that Kevontez is back there, because he has similar athletic features as Hayes, except that [Hudson] is left-handed and Bryan was right.” Wilson quickly shot down the idea of a dual quarterback system, “I don’t think it will be dual. I think Cale [Jones] and Austin [Day] are our next two guys.“
Add Hayes' eye-opening stats to that of current TSU Tiger Dayron Johnson, and a cause of concern would approach for most fans. Coach Wilson believes, although there isn't as much individual firepower, that a collective effort will bring Springfield the same offensive success as last season: "Kevontez Hudson has stepped up for the quarterback [position], and that’s in spring and a couple scrimmages. If we had a go-to receiver right now, Cale Jones is our guy. We think that Kevontay is going to have to get the ball at receiver and running back.”
This idea of a flex position is not foreign for the Jackets, as the aforementioned Johnson played a little bit of both positions for the Jackets, amassing over 1,000 all purpose yards in his senior year alone.
Despite two out of the three offensive skill positions filled for Springfield, the running back spot once held by Keith Jones is up for grabs: “I think running back is still up in the air as we speak”. Wilson reaffirmed that, although no starter has been officially penciled in, three names immediately came to mind: “You’ve got Kevontay White, Kameron Garret, and Kevarious Smith, and all three are running”.
Most of the Jackets' defensive core remains from a year ago, with six seniors at the helm in Yonel Rodriguez, Mikie Neal, Christian Trujilo, Austin Stiltner, Nate Kendrick, and Nathen Griffith.
You can catch SHS' first game this season at Wilson Central High School, or live through the Social Dweebs' live stream on Friday, August 23rd.
-Blaine Kellar is a broadcasting and journalism intern for Social Dweebs, which has covered Jacket football since 2018.
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