FOOTBALL TAB -- Southern Wayne: Youth is served again for Saints

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on August 20, 2015 1:48 PM

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By RUDY COGGINS

rcoggins@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- Southern Wayne has several holes to plug.

Preseason camp hasn't determined the starters and a true starting lineup, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, may not develop until the Saints' conference opener in late September.

By the end of last season, head coach David Lee had -- at times -- as many as five sophomores on the offensive line during a game. He lost two of those starters in the offseason.

"I really think as a coach you have to live in the present once the season starts," Lee said. "We've been taking those guys and working them every day ... reps, drills and going over plays on the board. Our sophomores as are physical as the upperclassmen that we have as far as strength wise."

That's one positive.

Lee opened the weight room at least four days a week since the season ended last November. The sophomores embraced the coaching staff's philosophy of working out and building themselves to become bigger, stronger, faster -- and more physical in a brutal split-classification conference with two perennial Class 4-A heavyweights.

The experience and maturity factors concern Lee.

"They're showing up and working hard," Lee said. "We're going to grow as we go. For the most part, if you look at our schedule, there's not many games where you're going to have time to grow. We've got a long way to go.

"We will just try to teach these kids to play with some intensity and have some confidence."

Returning starters Marcus Elliott and Tyquan Collie will direct an offensive line that will have two sophomores and a junior -- for now. That could change if chemistry develops between some other linemen that Lee has scribbled on his pad during the preseason.

The group will have to protect a first-year varsity starter at quarterback and a running back who, says Lee, just might break out of his shell this season. Aryc Chrisman will run the offense, and his main hand-off man will most likely be Manny Walker.

"Aryc has worked hard in the offseason, he's gotten stronger in the weight room (and) he's learning the offense," Lee said. "I think he's got a pretty good arm, but he's a 10th-grader ... doesn't have any experience on the varsity level. He doesn't seem to be intimidated."

Allen had just 65 touches in the Saints' running game last season and managed to find the end zone on one occasion. He also returned an interception for a touchdown on defense.

"I think last year he had the ability and showed some signs ... it was more of a confidence thing," Lee said. "This year, he knows that he's one of the go-to guys in the backfield as a skill player. He's trying to embrace that, trying to be a leader out on the field.

"Confidence goes a long way and if you're confident, you're going to play better."

One starter returns on defense.

Walker and fellow secondary mate Quentin Carlton are two athletes who can showcase their athletic ability. The question marks are the strong safety and outside linebacker positions -- hybrid spots where someone needs to shed blockers and make tackles, but also provide coverage in the flats and take on receivers one-on-one.

Lee said his defense is quicker.

Southern Wayne compiled an 0-11 worksheet that included six shutout losses in 2014. While that result may irk some coaches, Lee continued to find positives on a weekly basis to help his squad not get discouraged since the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference had a state champion (New Bern) and an eastern 3-A runner-up (Eastern Wayne).

The Saints open their season Friday against James Kenan, which won the Class 1-AA (large-school) state title in 2013, and lost to archrival WallaceRose Hill in the eastern regional final a year ago.

"We've always stressed to the players to just compete," Lee said. "Don't worry about the long term. Worry about today. Worry about tomorrow. If you compete, everything will take care of itself and eventually good things will happen."

And those growing pains will surely subside.