Jeff Roberts might be a first-year head coach, but he sounded very old school when describing what it will take for Choctaw County to be successful in 2019.
“It's kind of a cliché, but if we run the ball and play good defense, we will be in good shape.” he said. “At the end of the day, the key in football is who is the better blocker and who is the better tackler.”
Offensively, the Chargers will run out of the shotgun, but it won't be a spread-the-field-and-throw-it-all-over-the-place offense. “It's a spread, but it's more of a run the ball type of spread,” Roberts said.
Engineering the offense will be junior quarterback Tylan Carter. In his first year at quarterback a year ago, he passed for 928 yards and nine touchdowns and netted 396 yards on the ground, with 15 TDs.
“He's a dual threat kind of a guy,” Roberts said. “He made a couple of really nice throws this week (in practice). Of course he can run. That's definitely a positive.”
The leading runner figures to be sophomore Dicenzo Miller. Last year, he carried 93 times or 525 yards (5.6 average) and six TDs. Others who will see time toting the pigskin are sophomore Dejuan Woods, freshman Antonio Kennedy and senior Kendall Coleman.
“He's going to be special at some point,” Roberts said of Kennedy.
Coleman is a transfer from French Camp who had to sit out last year due to MHSAA transfer rules. Two years ago, he ran for 871 yards, with a 9.6 average, and 14 TDs for the Panthers.
“I've had coaches at Nanih Waiya and Noxapater say to give him the ball,” Roberts said
Senior Chris White and Junior Ques McNeal will share one of the wide out spots, seniors Preston Payne and Devaughn Miller the other. White and McNeal also play in the defensive backfield.
McNeal is a big play waiting to happen. He averaged 28.8 yards per receptions last year, with 15 for a team leading 346 yards, and 27.2 on kickoff returns with 11 for 299 yards.
Miller is fast and Payne is tough, according to Roberts “Preston is kind of a hard nose kid who will try to run over you.”
The tight end position is open with three players vying for playing time. Last Friday’s scrimmage with Pontotoc gave them a chance to show what they can do. “All of them will get reps on Friday,” Roberts said before the scrimmage. “Then we will find out who the starter will be.”
The same is true at center with three candidates. “We will find out Friday who is ready for live action. It’s one thing to do it in practice and another to do it when it’s live.”
On the offensive line, Logan Stirewalt and Brady Brooks are penciled in at the guard positions and Chris Anderson and Josh Hall at tackle. All four are seniors.
The defense is led by senior linebacker Israel Whitmore, who earned first team 3A all state honors last year after leading the Chargers in tackles with 93, including 10 for losses. He will be joined on the linebacking corps by two other seniors, Preston Lindsey and Stirewalt.
Ends on the defensive line are seniors Tabias Merritt and Tyler Holman. Senior Calvin Talley, last year’s leader in tackles for losses with 12, will be the tackle. The nose position is up in the air, with Roberts hoping to know more after the scrimmage with South Pontotoc.
White will be at safety along with Woods and McNeal at corner with sophomore Tyson Coleman who had a really good spring and summer according to Roberts. McNeal and White both had five interceptions last year.
Trace Beard will again handle the kicking chores. As a freshman, he averaged 33.3 yards for 31 punts and booted 16 PATs and one field goal. “I don’t know if I have ever seen a high school punter boom them like he did in practice the other day,” Roberts said.
Talley, the backup punter, has also sent some booming kicks into the atmosphere.
The season opener is a home game with Independence on Aug. 23.
