There might not be a coach in the state of Mississippi who has a tougher job than French Camp’s Nathan Wright.
While some years are better than others, Wright admits that this year will be another challenging one.
“We have a lot of inexperience, that would sum us up more than anything else,” Wright said. “We had about four players that were going to be good players for us who either decided that they weren’t going to play or went somewhere else. That really hurt. We are working hard, but we are defined by a lot of inexperience.”
Wright said he had 30 players out for the high school team. Right now, it’s a matter of putting the right players in the right spots.
“Among the guys who left, they all played tight end,” Wright said. “We were going to have some terrific depth there. Over the years, I have really liked using the tight ends. When you don’t have them it kind of limits you from doing certain things. We are trying to figure out what will work so I don’t really know what our identity will be.”
At quarterback will be senior Ethan Wright, who played there sparingly last season. He will be backed up by Logan Wright.
“I think Ethan has looked good and is doing a great job,” Wright said. “He looks good on both sides of the football so far. It’s going to be interesting.”
Returning at running back will be Silas Hodge, who rushed for 1,025 yards and 11 TDs last year. He will be joined by Aayden Ray.
At tight end will be Noah Dew, Logan Miller, and Bryce Wilson. Wright said the tight end position was a concern heading into the season.
At wide receiver will be Avery Summers, Benjamin Wright, Conner Privitt, and T.J. Pierce.
On the offensive line will be James Johnson, J.D. Leach, Dawson Bright, Jesse Jones, and Rylan Moore.
“With Silas and Ethan back, they are strong, hard-working kids who will give you everything they’ve got,” Wright said. “They are working hard and being good leaders. But after them, we are going to have a lot of young guys that will have to play a good bit. We have a lot of 10th graders that will have a good bit of playing time and will just have to do it this year.”
Wright said all five offensive linemen will be working on the defense line.
At linebacker, Ethan Wright returns after leading the team with 147 tackles. He will be joined by Hodge and Noah Dew.
At defensive back will be Benjamin Wright, Logan Wright, Avery Summer, and T.J. Pierce.
“We were hoping somebody else could play linebacker so Ethan wouldn’t have to play the side,” Wright said. “He’s our quarterback, and you don’t really want him playing the mike linebacker, but it looks like he’s going to have to play there. I was hoping we would have some help for him, but we will do what we can there.”
The Panthers will compete in District 3-1A with Sebastopol. West Lowndes, Ethel, Vardaman, Hamilton, and Leake County.
“It’s going to be tough getting to the playoffs,” Wright said. “I think Vardaman and Hamilton will be better this year so it will be a dog fight. West Lowndes always has the best athletes and seems to be getting guys in the right place. Sebastopol has a lot of guys back, and Ethel is getting better. We will see once we get there. It’s a long season, and we have a lot to do before we get there.”
The Panthers open the season on Aug. 26 against Winona Christian.
