By Jeff Odom
Gaither football coach Jason Stokes kept things simple during his first year at the helm in 2011, and it paid off in big ways.
The team finished runner-up in Class 7A-District 7 and made a deep playoff run before falling to Lakeland in the regional finals with a traditional offense.
Now, with last season in the rearview mirror, Stokes shifted his offensive philosophy toward a multiple threat system that includes an option attack. He got his first look at the offense at a 7-on-7 competition hosted by Tampa Catholic June 16.
“We’re gonna use different offenses to get faster off the ball,” Stokes said. “We’re still getting adjusted and everything and feeling it out.”
Junior quarterback Alex McGough likes what he sees with the new offense despite recent obstacles. The Cowboys didn’t get to compete in their spring jamboree, which was canceled due to lightning. Also, Daryl Steward was dismissed as offensive coordinator near the end of spring practice.
“(The system) has been good for us,” McGough said. “It (hurt) a little when coach (Stewart) left, but (wide receivers coach Charles Lattimore) and coach Stokes have been great play callers and it’s all coming together.”
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound McGough showed off his arm strength early in the tournament against the Tampa Catholic freshman squad, completing three straight 40-yard passes for touchdowns en route to a convincing win for Gaither.
The competition was meant to let participation teams work on their systems, so no true champion was declared, but Stokes saw many victories for his squad during the event.
The progression the second-year Gaither coach has seen in his quarterback has him very happy headed into next season. He said it’s good to have a leader like McGough guiding his players on and off the field.
“He’s been maturing a lot this offseason, and he is seeing the field so much better,” Stokes said. “I’m so proud of the leadership he’s showing our players every day.”
Another piece of the Cowboys’ success has been the continuing development of running back Shug Oyegunle. The senior, who also played quarterback his first three season, took a majority of reps at half back and caught a touchdown pass from McGough over the middle.
Oyegunle said the spread playbook presents more opportunities to help his team move the ball downfield and stay in the flow of things.
“Coach just made all our plays just more simple, and that made everything more comfortable.” Oyegunle said. “We’ve gotten smarter and competitive in everything we do.”
Other players Stokes sees as possible game changers in the fall are Dimarcus Sexil, Jamari Cord and Blake High transfer Josh Bell.
Stokes said Bell has impressed him with his performance on the field and the respect he shows the coaching staff.
“Bell has been great; he’s fast too,” Stokes said. “The good thing is that he’s a very coachable player.”
Gaither plays Sickles Aug. 24 in the preseason kickoff classic. The regular season opener is at Alonso Aug. 31. Both contests start at 7:30 p.m.
