By Kyle LoJacono
The 2011 Wharton football team ended a two-year string of missing the postseason.
Many of those players return, but one huge void in the backfield remains
unfilled.
If the Wildcats, who lost 34-14 in the regional quarterfinals at Orlando Dr.
Phillips, are to make back-to-back playoffs they will do it without powerful
running back Darius Page.
The
5-foot-8, 195-pound senior, who is expected to sign this week with Methodist
University in North Carolina, ran for 1,385 yards on 205 carries and 13
touchdowns while adding another 452 yards from 29 catches and another two
scores.
Page’s
presence kept the opposition guessing, which also helped sophomore quarterback
Chase Litton and the passing attack.
“With Darius running the ball and gashing the defense play after
play they’d bring the safety up,” Litton said. “When they did that we’d hit
them with the long ball. When they’d drop back we’d give it back to Darius.”
Wharton, which went 5-6 last season, was extremely balanced
offensively last year, averaging 176.5 yards passing and 175 yards rushing per
game while scoring 25.8 points. To remain versatile the squad must find new
options to carry the ball.
“We don’t have another Darius Page, but we have people like Jeff
Keil and Deon
Sampson who are different types of running backs,” Litton said. “Sampson is the quick
runner, and Jeff is the muscle to get those tough yards. They can both be on
the field to also keep the defense off balance, or rotate them. We’re missing
out on a 1,000-yard rusher in Darius, but we’re going to have a two-headed
monster.”
Keil and Sampson totaled 29 carries for 156 yards and four scores last year while
kicking in 19 catches for another 351 yards.
Right tackle Deandre Brown, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound freshman, said the offensive line is
taking steps to help the running game stay on top.
“I’ve been working to move my feet better to drive through the defenders to open up
holes,” Brown said. “That’s the big thing is use your feet to get leverage.”
Wildcats coach David Mitchell said the run game has been the
focus in recent spring practices as Litton suffered a sprain to his throwing
thumb after getting it caught in a teammate’s helmet.
Litton may miss the spring game but is doing everything he can
in practice to stay ready.
“(Litton) did really well last year, but he can still work on a
lot of things,” Mitchell said. “He’s got to work on reading defenses and
working with his receivers. Understanding receivers is really important for a
quarterback.”
The 6-foot-6, 195-pound signal caller took over as Wharton’s
starter the final two games of his freshman year. Litton completed 134-of-236
passes for 2,056 yards and 10 touchdowns last season and said returning to the
postseason isn’t a topic of discussion.
“Playoffs isn’t a destination; it’s an objective,” Litton said.
“We’re not going to sit here and say we want to be a playoff team. We want to
be more than that. It’s great to get there, but we want to go far in regionals,
get to the final four and play in the championship game.”
The defense returns most of its key starters, including Vernon Hargreaves.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound junior is one of the highest rated defensive backs in
the country by many college recruiting groups and has been working to take his
game to another level.
“I’ve been working a lot with my defensive coordinator (Kiwaukee Thomas),” said
Hargreaves, who had two interceptions last year. “He played corner in the NFL
for the Bills and the Dolphins. We work on and off the field and we watch film
together.”
Another
key defensive returner is junior Rocky Enos, who had a team-high 118 tackles
last season. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder is moving from outside to inside
linebacker.
“I’ve
been putting on some weight to move to the middle, but I’m working to keep my
speed,” Enos said. “I’ve still got that footwork and can run a 4.7 (seconds) in
the 40 (yard dash), so it doesn’t bother me what position I play.”
The
Wildcats will need to be clicking on all sides of the ball to compete for the
Class 8A-District 6 championship. Also vying for the title is the defending
state champion Plant, which went 14-1 last year.
“I
think hands down we should be at least district runner-up, but maybe even
district champs,” Litton said. “It’s Plant’s rebuilding year. Plant doesn’t
have a down year, but I think with our coaches and guys we can be a very
dangerous team.”
Hargreaves
added that there is a different feel in practice this spring.
“Last
year’s team we had a lot more energy,” said Hargreaves. “We’re more mellow this
year, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think we know what it takes to
accomplish our goals and we’re not all nervous about it.”
Enos added, “We’re upset about losing that playoff game, and I think there’s just a
lot more belief that we can make it back and win a playoff game this year.”
–Stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches
