This is the fourth installment of the Post’s eight-part series on football practices of area high school teams.Today: West Rowan.
West Rowan football coach Scott Young had several
transfers come into his
program this year, from Lexington to Goldsboro to Miami.
And he admits he is playing
favorites with one of the transfers ~ a diaper dandy named Bryant Scott Young.
At 10:42 p.m. on July 21, Bryant was
transferred from wife Diane’s stomach to Young’s waiting arms. All eight pounds,
3 ounces of him.
A football son for a football coach.
``I was listening to Rich Rodriguez
of Clemson at the coaching clinic when the beeper went off,’’ said the
second-year Falcon coach. ``I got to Concord in time for the birth. It was my first one
and I wasn’t going to miss it.’’
Young thought it was
absolutely perfect timing.
``He must have known where
Daddy was,’’ chuckled Young. ``He knew it was time to come on out and get ready for
football.’’
FORGET ABOUT IT: A new son has
energized Young and has almost made him forget about last year’s 3-8 season in his first try as a head
coach.
Almost.
``To be honest with you,
having a 3-8 season, going through some tough times and not being very good humbles you a
lot,’’ Young said. ``It makes you realize how much you have to work in the
offseason.’’
And the Falcons responded to
their coach by hitting the weights. There was a different atmosphere at practice this week. A throng of 80 showed
up.
``You don’t like
losing,’’ Young said. ``The kids don’t like losing. The only way you can
get through it is to work hard.’’
VOLUNTEERS: Young said while
his players are working hard, his volunteers are really putting in some time.
Ralph Ellis, who has coached longer
at West than anyone, is back, while John Russ, a former volunteer at Salisbury, and Chad
Correll, who worked with the Davie program, have joined Young.
``It speaks a lot of someone who
will spend that much time and is committed every day,’’ Young said. ``Those guys
are here every time we open the doors.’’
They join assistants Joe
Payne, Josh Sophia, Tim Dixon, David Hunt and Chris Cauble.
Hunt retired from Davie
schools after a successful career in football and baseball and decided to join Young, a former cohort at Davie.
JUSTIN TIME: If there is a
player who is as excited as Young, it is senior Justin Davis, a receiver.
Nobody finished last season better.
The 1998 campaign was a weird
year for Davis, who didn’t catch a pass in the first three contests but finished with 28
grabs for 478 yards. He also turned into a promising kick returner. Against Piedmont, for
instance, he averaged 37 yards on five punt returns, including runs of 51 and 55 yards.
``Justin really came on last year
and it has carried over to this preseason,’’ Young said.
Receivers coach Correll has been
impressed.
``He’s got the ability to do
what he wants,’’ Correll said. ``Justin Davis is the man.’’
O.K. CORRELL: Correll owns a
garage door business and is fulfilling a dream by coaching high school football. He started in little league,
began keeping stats at Davie and like Hunt, crossed the Yadkin to join Young.
He thought he knew football. Then,
he spent a summer of training sessions and camps.
``I felt like I went through a
full season before we started practice,’’ he whewed. ``I feel like I’ve been
coaching three years.’’
After seeing the speed of Davis and
some of the others, he has caught Falcon Fever.
``I think we’ve got a
chance to do something with the talent we’ve got,’’ he said.
A SURPRISE: Among the
first-year players who will see plenty of action, Brandon Bailey is standing out.
``He’s only a
freshman,’’ said Young, ``but right now, he is our third receiver.’’
David Terry, the jayvees’
leading receiver, is also looking good. Add basketball star Scooter Sherrill to the receiving corps with Davis
and Correll will surely have one of the finest groups of receivers in the South Piedmont
Conference.
``Correll’s
loaded,’’ Young said.
YOUNG’S GUNS: With Raymondo Brady
transferring to East Rowan, Young is counting on sophomore Ben Hampton and junior Jared Barnette as his
quarterbacks. He said no one has won the job yet.
TRANSFERS: Two of Young’s
transfers will help immediately: Scooter Dalton, formerly of Lexington, and James Francis, formerly of Goldsboro.
Dalton was probably Lexington’s
best all-around athlete last season. He is switching from quarterback to tailback.
Francis is a 6-foot, 180-pound
linebacker who, along with returning lineman Jason Fink, will bring some ferocious defense
with him, according to the coach.
``We’ve also got Lamont Davis
coming in from Salisbury and he is fighting for a spot in the secondary,’’ Young
said. ``He’s a gifted little athlete.’’
DEE-FENSE: Defense should be a
strong suit for West. Besides speedy players like Davis, Young returns his entire defensive line, led by Fink
and J.D. Watkins. In the secondary, Calvin Roebuck is back. He had three interceptions for
99 yards last season, including a touchdown.
YOUNG `DIGGS’ THAT
FULLBACK: Young said he respects teen-agers who respect themselves. And that is junior Jonathan
Diggs in a nutshell.
Last season, grades kept him from
playing. Not this season.
``He has worked hard in the
classroom, the weight room and on the field to get ready,’’ Young praised. ``He is a big surprise. He
was going to be my tailback until Mr. Dalton showed up.’’
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW:
Assistant coach Cauble is an old face at a new school.
A 1985 graduate of East and a
former coach there, he went to Concord last year to coach baseball. Although he never thought he’d give
up the red, white and blue of East for West’s blue and white, he is very glad to be
at West Rowan.
``I’m glad to be back in
the county where I grew up,’’ Cauble said. ``Everybody seems real excited in this area
and I’ve been welcomed with open arms.’’
Like Cauble, Young is also a
former athlete at East.
SCRIMMAGE: West’s first
real test under game conditions is Aug. 13 when the Falcons face Davie County.
BACK TO THE BABY: And finally,
there’s one thing Young should prepare himself for as far as his young football
prodigy at home. At Bryant Scott’s age, players do things a bit differently.
On fourth down, they drop back
and poop.
ICEMAN COMETH: With the heat wave overwhelming
football practice, players
like seeing Larry Sides on the field. The trainer is in his 22nd year.
One of his favorite cool-down
methods is putting ice towels on the players’ heads.
``Most of the heat leaves
through the head,’’ said Sides. ``The helmet holds all the heat in.’’
Of the heat, Sides said, ``We’ve had worse.
It has been in the 100s before.’’ |
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