Archives > Sports > Schools
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Football: The Colony opens season against Sherman
BY JUSTIN THOMAS, Jthomas@acnpapers.com
The Colony’s football team will get their 2010 campaign underway Friday but will have to do so away from the friendly confines of Tommy Briggs Stadium because of repairs to one of the light poles.
Instead the Cougars will have to play their opener at Hebron’s Hawk Stadium when they will face off against Sherman at 7:30 p.m.
Cougars coach Rudy Rangel is hoping that a mixture of returning talent and an influx of newcomers will get The Colony’s season out on the right foot.
“He had an incredible summer,” Rangel said. “He’s up to about 6-foot-6 now and is throwing the ball well. I think he, along with our receivers will be strong.”
Those receivers include Gage Sharp, an all-district safety last season who will play on both sides of the ball this year. Joining Sharp in the receiving corps are Gerald Thomas and Nate Jones.
“They all have good skill sets and can make plays,” Rangel said. “We’ll have to see how it works with [Sharp] playing both ways. But we have the depth to be able to give him a break if we need to.”
The Colony’s question marks offensively come at running back and offensive line.
Nathan Alvarez enters as the primary ball carrier.
“He’s an explosive and exciting player,” Rangel said, “and is a guy we can set in motion or split out. He can catch the ball and help us in the passing game as well.”
Backing up Alvarez is Josh Tristan. But the pair combined for just five carries at the varsity level last season.
“It’s a question mark,” Rangel said. “But that’s what the preseason is for. We’ll see how they do but we’re excited about their abilities.”
The Cougars also feature a young offensive line which will start one senior and four juniors.
“They’re extremely young but they’re also one of the more athletic offensive lines we’ve had,” Rangel said. “There’s going to be a learning curve but they’ve been coming along.”
Defensively, Rangel said the Cougars will thrive on speed.
“We’re very fast on defense,” he said. “Our linebacking corps can all run and our secondary is as good as we’ve had here. I feel real good about our defense.”
The defense starts up front, where defensive lineman DJ Willis and Sir Wells will be anchors. They will be joined in the trenches by Sam Preston and Josh Ponton, among others.
The linebackers include Erik Mitchell, Jawaad Saeed, Michael Denton and Trey Reed.
“Those guys can all run and get to the ball and that’s what you need in a 3-4 defense,” Rangel said.
In the secondary, the Cougars will feature Sharp, Daniel Boyd, and Terren Carter, among others.
On special teams, The Colony’s kicking position is still up in the air. Both Luis Juarez and Nate Fox will have a chance to earn the job during the non-district season.
“It’s going to be a healthy competition and they’ll both get their chances,” Rangel said.
The Cougars will get started against Sherman, which returns six offensive and three defensive starters from a squad that went 8-3 and reached the bi-district round of the playoffs last season before falling against Newman Smith.
This year, the Bearcats will compete out of District 13-4A and are predicted to finish fourth and reach the playoffs according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.
“They graduated a lot of kids but they have a good nucleus coming back,” Rangel said. “They run a spread offense but use multiple formations.”
The Bearcats will be led by their offense, including key returns at the skill positions.
Running back Zach Whitfield returns after leading the team in rushing last season. Whitfield averaged more than 10 yards per carry last season, gaining 1,073 yards with 13 touchdowns.
“He’s a skill kid with good speed and vision,” Rangel said. “And at reciever they have a couple of good starters but I’m not sure how much depth they have.”
Receiver Nathan James also returns after posting 497 total yards and two scores.
Thor Long will quarterback Sherman after seeing limited action last season. Long completed 22-of-35 passes last year throwing for 396 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
Defensively, Sherman performed well last season but faded down the stretch allowing 43 and 56 points to Denison and Newman Smith, respectively, in their last two games of the season.
“They’re just an average-sized defense but they make up for it with speed,” Rangel said. “It should be a good test for us.”
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: The Colony «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
