By Ryan Bisesi
rbisesi@salisburypost.com
LANDIS — If we are who we surround ourselves with, South Rowan would be a perennial winner.
Success is all around the Raiders. Defending state champs Salisbury and West Rowan are down the road. Carson displayed an unprecedented rise across I-85 last year and A.L. Brown is fired up about a new coach and state-title aspirations after its 33rd straight winning season.
However, change has been a constant for South coach Jason Rollins, now in his sixth season. He’s seen the Raiders at the top two years ago only to come crashing down just a season later. He’s had to reshuffle a lot of youthful rosters, such as this year’s team that boasts just 10 seniors.
After posting a 9-3 mark in 2009 that included a second-place finish in the NPC, South lost a bevy of departing seniors and won just twice last year, missing the playoffs.
The Raiders were last in the county last year in defense, giving up 36.7 points per game and 344 yards of total offense per game. The good news is that the plethora of sophomores that cut their teeth last year are older. The roster boasts 23 11th-graders.
“I think taking those sophomores last year and playing them helped us a lot,” Rollins said. “It made them mature enough to play on Friday night. They had bumps and bruises, but they see what it’s like and understand the concepts.”
However, all those kids that played last year will learn a new offense, one Rollins is hopeful they’ll pick up on pretty quickly.
The Raiders will format their offense in a basic one-back look, different from the triple-option look of previous years.
“You’ll see us running and throwing the ball pretty equally,” Rollins said. “Before it was run, run, run and beat them down. It’s not a hard offense to introduce.”
There are a handful of key returnees on offense, led by running back Ricky Sherrill, quarterback Nathan Lambert and tight end Josh Medlin. Lambert struggled in the little time he saw behind center last year, completing 28 of 78 passes and throwing six interceptions.
“Nathan’s a tall kid and got a long arm,” Rollins said. “He can read defenses really well.”
Lambert is likely to start over fellow junior Eric Tyler, who possesses a strong arm after being named an all-county catcher on the baseball team.
“This offense that we put in was designed to simplify things for those two,” Rollins said. “We’re real excited for them to be able to be relaxed.”
Mark McDaniel, the keys to the ignition on offense last season, is gone to Catawba. McDaniel was the county’s fourth-leading rusher in 2010 and eighth in the county in total offense.
If there’s anything good about losing, it’s that it humbles its victims. There are no prima donnas on the Raiders.
“We’ve had some good groups come and go through here,” Rollins said. “Now we’ve got a group that’s got a little bit of athleticism and they’ve got a hard nose for football. They really want it and desire it. They don’t have this ‘me’ attitude. That’s what impresses me about this group.”
Sherrill and Dominique Garlin will take care of running duties among a slew of folks up from the JV squad.
Sherrill had 635 yards rushing last year with three touchdowns. His standout performance came against West Iredell. He gained 127 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns, both season bests for a single game.
“I’m excited to see what’s going to happen,” Sherrill said. “This season is going to be a lot better than it was last year.”
Rollins likes what he sees out of freshman Daveon Perry, who has lightning speed for a first-year player. Perry could see time at wide receiver.
Brandon Williams, Logan Beck, Christian Voyles and Zane Harmon and Garland round out the receivers.
Medlin will be at tight end on offense while playing defensive end on the other side. Seniors Sonny Pope and Scotty Magnuson, junior Tyrick Carr and sophomore Ryan Bringle will be used at tight end as well.
Last year, the Raiders would be competitive in spurts before losing focus and eventually — games. South led Carson 16-0 before the Cougars scored 53 straight points. They kept close with Salisbury before falling 39-30 in the season opener.
“Last year, we’d fight hard for three quarters and then fall apart,” Rollins said. “We’ve got to keep our kids going for four quarters.”
On the offensive line, right guard Clint Meece leads an inexperienced group as a junior while B.J. Morrison carries the heaviest load at 5-foot-11, 300 pounds. Senior Cameron Moore could also provide leadership on the OL.
Devin Mason and Medlin, both juniors, make up defensive ends while Zach Stirewalt, Andrew Mauldin and Magnuson will rotate throughout the front. Junior Bubba McLaughlin will anchor the linebackers.
In the secondary, Drew Glenn, Garland and Tyler will be the top safeties, while Perry, Jordan Kennerly and Williams take over at cornerback.
“We’ve got to keep our kids motivated and keep them looking at the big picture,” Rollins said.