16 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2010
2010 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Members of the 2010 Oak Mountain High School varsity football team include: Austin Abernathy, Matthew Allers, Noah Barcroft, Steven Beard, James Beauchaine, Cameron Bice, Bradley Bostick, Shawn Clarke, Michael Cole, Alex Corley, Billy Dasher, Al Davis, Grant Davis, Rico Dunn, Brady Faulkner, Jesse France, Tony Fusco, Barrett Gossett, Jacob Guillory, Harman Guraya, Bowen Gurkin, Scott Hester, Sam Hix, Hunt Hobbs, Heath Holbert, Michael Jointer, Chris Jones, Bryant Kelley, Jake Kelley, Nick Kidd, Vincent Kimbrough, E.J. Langan, Gunnar Lantrip, Grant Layton, Hayden Long, Will Maddox, Mitch Mathias, Tommy McGowan, Jordan McLain, Jake Miller, John Michael Miller, Dylan Minor, Austin Moro, Trey Page, Justin Paulus, Dejuan Phillips, Jordan Pierce, Matt Pressley, Heath Quinn, Jakaryus Redwine, Grant Reese, Hayden Reese, Christopher Richmond, Taylor Rinks, Angel Sanchez, Jonathan Schmohl, Will Schweer, Josh Self, Jackson Smart, Marquell Smith, Tyler Sockwell, Zach Stephenson, Austen Swinsick, Jonathan Taylor, Lloyd Time, Chase Tourney, Alex Tucker, Avery Wambles, Evan Webb, Andy Whitcomb, Adrian Williams, Cory Wilson and Luke Wise.
Oak Mountain
Option Plays
Despite Inexperience, Eagles Hope to Soar BY CARY ESTES
JOURNAL SPORTS WRITER
D
espite a final 4-6 record, Oak Mountain was oh so close to making the playoffs last season. All the Eagles had to do was hang onto a 12-point lead against a Thompson team that was on a nine-game losing streak, and they would have grabbed the fourth and final playoff spot out of Class 6A Region 6. Instead, Thompson scored three unanswered touchdowns – two in the fourth quarter – and the Eagles missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. “That was a big disappointment,” Oak Mountain head coach Jeff Harris said. “We were very, very close to possibly having a special year. “That has worked out to be the motivator that has pushed us through this off-season.” The problem is, it might take a lot more than just motivation to get the Eagles to the playoffs this season. That’s because Oak Mountain faces a mountain of obstacles, with only one returning starter on defense and no returning starters on the offensive line. The starting lineup is filled with sophomores and juniors, including many who have never played in a varsity game. And while the Eagles will have a senior quarterback, it’s not the player they expected to have at the position. Last year’s starter, Paul Angel, tore his ACL during baseball practice earlier this year and is out for the season. He has been replaced by senior wide receiver Trey Page, who has played a backup role at quarterback on occasion but has
never been a starter. “You don’t want to go through the season with a 15-year-old sophomore quarterback like we did last year, but everybody would love to have a junior with one year under his belt, which is what we thought we were going to have this year,” Harris said. “We were very optimistic about what we were going to be able to do offensively after going through those growing pains with Paul. “You invest in that kid, and you really go through the growing up process with him, and now he’s going to be out. That was obviously a disappointing blow to our team.” To accommodate Page as he changes positions, Harris said the Eagles are altering their spread-formation offense to include option plays that will give Page the opportunity to run the ball more often. “Basically, we shifted gears early in the summer and started moving more towards
a spread-option team,” Harris said. “We’re still going to be in the gun. We’re still in the spread formation. “But Trey is going to allow us to do some things a little bit differently than what Paul brought to the table. Paul was more of a pocket-passing quarterback. Trey is going to bring some athleticism there that I think will be tough to defend. “So we’re going to run some options and some sprint-out passing, which will give him the option of running or throwing it. He throws the ball on the run real well.” Look for several of those option plays to include junior tailback Bradley Bostick, a 5-6, 150-pound spitfire who has been clocked at 4.3 in the 40-yard dash. “He brings tremendous speed back there,” Harris said. “Because of Trey’s running threat and the fact we have a fast running back beside him, we feel like we’re going to be very effective in our playaction passing game.”
Key Players to Watch
When the Eagles do take to the air, the primary target will be senior Rico Dunn, who is the son of former University of Alabama All-American Eric Curry. “We expect big things out of him on both sides of the ball,” Harris said of Dunn, who will also play in the defensive secondary. “He has great genes, and he’s being actively recruited by a lot of colleges.”
DEFENSE Lining up on the opposite side of the field will be junior Jakaryus Redwine, who, like Dunn, will play both wide receiver and defensive back. Redwine runs a 4.4 in the 40, while Dunn has been timed at 4.5. “We feel like we have some pretty good speed on the perimeter with those two guys,” Harris said.” Other wideouts expected to receive playing time this season include junior Jordan Pierce, sophomore Scott Hester and senior Grant Davis. The offensive line will be led by senior captain Brady Faulkner, who is moving to center after playing on the defensive front last season. “He’s done an outstanding job and will be our leader on the line,” Harris said. “The rest of the line is wide open. He’s the only definite in there. The rest is day-today competition.” On defense, the lone returning starter is middle linebacker Andy Whitcomb, a 6-1, 200-pound senior who was second on the team in tackles last season. “He’s a good one to get back,” Harris said. “He’ll provide solid leadership for us
Quick Facts
Oak Mountain leaders, with Coach Jeff Harris, are, from left: Rico Dunn, Andy Wicomb Brady Faulkner and Trey Page.
2009 Record: 4-6 Head Coach: Jeff Harris Stadium: Heardmont Park Region: Class 6A Region 6 Region Opponents: Homewood, Hoover, Mountain Brook, Pelham, Spain Park, Thompson, Vestavia Hills