Friday Night Writes: Spring Football

After a long and eventful off-season, the Madison Central Jags are finally playing some more football. There is a lot to look forward to this next season, so I'll highlight what I'm watching for this spring as well as other things that will affect next season.

1. Coaching Changes- During the offseason, some Jag assistant coaches received some promotions. Coach Doug Jones is now the Head Coach at Corinth High School, a 3A school in Northeast Mississippi. Replacing Jones is coach Jamie Everett, an assistant coach at Madison Central last year.Coach Todd Mangum, former defensive coordinator, is leaving for a big-time 6A team, Wayne County. Coach Ty Trahan will replace Mangum as defensive coordinator. Trahan played linebacker at USM for 2 years in the late 90's and was also defensive coordinator at Amory HS (Bobby Hall's last coaching job before Madison) for two years.

2. A New Defense- With a new defensive coordinator comes a new defense. The Jags will play a 4-3 defense this year (under Mangum the Jags played a 3-4). This will be a key to stopping passing teams from throwing for what felt like 600 yards a game (see Olive Branch). (Hold on here, I'm about to get slightly technical.)

While the 3-4 defense is highly effective at higher levels, it's not necessarily a good idea on the high school level, in my opinion. The main problem is that the linebackers, in a 3-4 defense, must cover wide receivers  on pass plays. And most high schools don't have linebackers that can hold their own against the defensive line AND cover wide receivers. So switching to the 4-3 allows for cornerbacks to cover wide receivers instead of linebackers. It also adds another down lineman to put more pressure on the QB and stop the run.

3. New Faces- If faced with the loss of key players like Drew Rowell, Hugh Warren, Shauntez Ball, Maurice Bennett, and Devon Desper, most teams would label the following season a "rebuilding year". The Jags, however, have the talent and the depth to have an even better season than last year. Here are some of the people I'm looking at to step up this year.

Offense

• Jake Schwartz (Sr, 5'10", 170 lbs.)- Drew Rowell was more than capable of leading last year's offense down the field nearly every drive. But let's face it, it was a rather one dimensional offense (not necessarily Drew's fault) . That's what I believe Jake Schwartz brings to this football team: a legitimate, down-field passing threat. Players on the team have told me that the coaches have the team passing a lot more than they did last year. But that isn't all that Schwartz can do. Schwartz has great speed, which he showed off against Jim Hill high school (he rushed for 78 yards on 7 carries). Look for Schwartz to be a true, dual-threat quarterback under Bobby Hall's offense.
• Daniel Goodspeed (Sr, 6', 200 lbs.)- Losing a player like Hugh Warren would absolutely cripple most teams, and rightfully so. THE MAN RAN FOR 1230 YARDS LAST YEAR. But I believe that Goodspeed will be a more than suitable replacement for Hugh Warren. Goodspeed's stats speak for the themselves. He essentially had 600 yards in 5 games. Yeah, I don't think I have to say anything more.
• Brandon Collins (Sr, 5'8", 180 lbs.)- Collins proved that he can play a starting role in Hall's offense. Last year, he started when Brandon Moore was injured and rushed for 344 yards in 6 games. Look for Collins to become an essential part of a 1-2 punch at wingback featuring Collins and Brandon Moore.
• Bailey Pepper (Sr, 6', 250 lbs.)- No one will argue that Mississippi State signee Devon Desper is a mammoth of a man. But it will take an even bigger man, metaphorically speaking, to fill his shoes. Bailey Pepper, a two-year starter will take his place this year. I think that the former right tackle will have no trouble adjusting to the new position.
• Keith Williams (Sr, 6', 170 lbs.)- Where to start with Keith Williams? Williams probably had the most frustrating year of any player last year. Pass after pass after pass hit his hands and then fell to the ground. But let's give credit to Keith, he wouldn't start unless the coaches liked what they saw. Keith will get over his dropping problems, and from what I have heard, already has.

Defense

• Lemetrius Hollins (Sr, 6', 250 lbs.)- Strong, fast, and explosive. Those are the words used by another teammate to describe Hollins. Hollins will be looked upon to guide a young but talented defensive line this year.
• Jamarion Roberts (Jr, 5' 10", 180 lbs.)-  Jamarion Roberts is the only junior on this list for a reason. He's undoubtedly the hardest hitter on the team. In my opinion, he's the true wild card of this defense. If Jamarion shows up, this defense will be hard to do anything against.
• Jayron Harness (Sr, 6'2", 170 lbs.)- Jayron Harness will need to be the leader of what has become labeled the "least experienced part " of this team. This talented cornerback has a nose for the ball and a high football I.Q.
• Nick Greenfield (Sr, 5'11", 170 lbs.)- Greenfield is the classic example of a ball-hawking safety. And it doesn't hurt that he knows nearly everything about what's going on the defensive side of the ball. Expect Greenfield to see a lot of playing time this fall.

4. Here are the things I will be watching for at the spring game on Thursday.

1. How will Jake Schwartz be used?- No doubt he will throw and run, but how much of each will we see. The spring game might give us some insight into how the offense might look this coming fall.
2. Which is more dominant? A talented backfield (Goodspeed, Moore, Collins) or a talented front seven (Hollins, Jimmie Lee, Jamarion Roberts, Brion Ballard, etc.).
3. How cohesive is the offensive line?- Elite teams must have a good offensive line that works as one unit.
4. Will the wide receiver's catch the ball this year?- Whether the players will admit it or not, this was a major problem. It even cost the Jags a game against Olive Branch (8/19).
5. How will the defensive backs fare against serious passing threats?- Jake Schwartz should be a good measuring stick to this question.
6. How good is the back-up quarterback?- Why is anyone talking about the back-up quarterback? He's the Madison Central equivalent to Tim Tebow. Jimmie Smith, Jr (Sophomore). Does the name sound familiar? It should. He's the son of former Dallas Cowboy star Jimmie Smith, Sr. And he's arguably the most athletic student in the Madison County school district. I don't think he will start this fall, but you can bet that Bobby Hall will have pakcages that feature Jimmie Smith as quarterback. 
7. How deep is this team and what does the future look like?- The upcoming juniors and sophomores should provide an adequate answer because everyone gets reps in the spring game. I will definitely be watching for this answer. Here's some trivia for you: the upcoming junior class was the 2nd class in Madison Central history to go undefeated in 8th and 9th grade football. The first class to do that was ranked 4th in the nation (by Maxpreps.com) until losing to 1st ranked South Panola High School in the North State title game.

Spring games never fail to provide many story lines and a plethora of topics to talk about and this spring game looks to be no different.

Any comments/ questions/ thoughts? Thanks for reading!