WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015 — 2015 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW — 5
Liberty still looking for answers in the kicking game BY PATTY LEON pleon@coastalcourier.com
The kicking game has been a bit of a thorn in the Liberty County High School football team’s side recently. For four years, the Panthers were blessed with Eddie Chipple, who graduated in 2010. During his senior year, Chipple punted 37 times for 1,417 yards, with nine kicks landing inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. After he left, the Panthers groomed linebacker Corey Lazenby to help with punts. In two seasons, he had 60 punts for 2,045 yards,
with 13 kicks inside the 20. Again, graduation left the Panthers looking for their next possible punter, and again they turned their attention to another linebacker, Joaquin Lemapu, who also was a soccer player and adept in punting and kickoffs. “We were blessed with Lemapu being able to just kick it through the end zone, but it may not be that way this year, so we will add a little more strategy into it,” Liberty kicking coach Casey Hale said. Panther head coach Kirk Warner knows it’s a sticky situation that has cost his team extra points and field-goal points in the past.
OFFENSE Continued from page 2
touchdowns. Glazer noted that Williams also led the offense in reception yards with 400 on 27 catches and scored eight touchdowns. Williams, a senior, committed to Wake Forest over the summer, and Glazer said that has taken a lot of pressure about where he might play next year off his shoulders. Of course, it should come as no surprise that five-star prospect Richard LeCounte will see action all over the field this season. “Richard is going to be playing offense as much as he can. He will likely be on the field for every single play unless he needs to come out, which won’t happen much,” Glazer said. LeCounte, well-known for his defensive play, completed 13 of 22 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns last year, rushed 51 times for 301 yards and five touchdowns and had 11 receptions for 116 yards, good for fourth on the team. “This year, we are playing the best 11 no matter if they play both ways,” Glazer said. “We are making some adjustments. I’ve watched a lot of film from last year and saw some of the things we need to change so we are not predictable on offense. And we have to get the ball in our playmakers’ hands as much as possible and let them try to do what they can do.” Glazer said people also should watch out for Jarquel Richardson, one of the team’s fastest running backs, who was forced to the sidelines after he suffered a leg injury in game two last season. “He figures to be big in our offensive game plan. ... He has matured some, and I’m pretty sure he is going to make a big differ-
Patty Leon
Liberty County’s Kris Coleman attempts to catch a pass during a recent practice.
ence,” Glazer said. But the offense is only as good as the players protecting the quarterback or making blocks for the running backs — the offensive line. Offensive-line coach Josh Davis said the line lost six seniors from last year, along with a lot of starting experience, and has one or two returning linemen. “Other than that, we are kind of question marks across the line,” Davis said. “But I think by the time we are going to play our first game, we will be able to put together a decent line.” Glazer said defensive linemen may be tapped to help. “Our O-line is a work in progress,” he said. The Panthers brought in Zane Dill to coach and develop the wide receivers. The
“We go for it on fourth down,” Warner joked about not having Lemapu. But it turns out the Panthers have another plan. “We are going to have Richard (LeCounte) back there punting,” Warner said. “I doubt we get a rush on him because if they do, he will break free. He is athletic enough, and he adds another dimension to our game plan.” Hale said the coaches also are grooming sophomore Alex Sutton. Warner said Sutton did well on the junior-varsity squad and has developed well during the offseason.
former Pellam High School assistant coach attended Irwin County High and graduated from Valdosta State University with a major in health and physical education. He said the focus when working with receivers are the routes. “One of the main things I’ve been working on is route-running and making sure we run precision routes — making sure we are separating ourselves from the defender. … If they can run a good route, they can always be open to catch the ball,” Dill said. He said there still is work to be done — and luckily, it’s still early in the season. “But we have room where we can improve and, obviously, throughout the course of the season, the players are going to get better,” Dill said. “Also important is blocking,” he added. “If we can block our man, it is going to open up the field for us and allow our guys to score a touchdown.” When it comes to the offensive scheme, Glazer and Warner said folks will just have to come out and see for themselves. “We are going to do what we do best … spread the field … for short yardage, we will go to the wishbone,” Warner said. The Panthers play in Region 3-AAAA and face a tough schedule again this year. “Of course, you have to start with the defending region-champion Wayne County and then the runner-up Burke County,” Warner said. “They are definitely two teams at the top of the list. We lost a heartbreaker to Thomson last year, and Windsor Forest will be much more improved. They have a new head coach come in with a new system, so there is probably a renewed interest in the program. But the road to the playoffs will run through Wayne and Burke.”
“He can consistently kick it for 30-35 yards out, so for extra points and kickoffs we should be fine,” the head coach said, adding that Sutton is not as proficient with the punt. “In that aspect, he is not quite strong enough to do what we want him to do,” Warner said. “We are going to rotate guys. Jacari Roberts can kick it to the end zone from the 5.” Hale said Sutton also is working on punting, but agrees that the Panthers are versatile enough to have more than one kicker or punter. “We have options,” he said.
DEFENSE Continued from page 2
There is no doubt that the Panthers’ defense started getting national attention when former linebacker Raekwon McMillan was heavily scouted beginning his freshman year. McMillan eventually committed to Ohio State, where last year, he tallied 54 tackles in his freshman season for the national champions. Glazer said that made McMillan’s former teammates hungry for a shot to score big. “It had a huge impact … I mean, if you live in this area, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to come to Liberty County High School,” he said. “Raekwon is on pace to graduate in three years … and he graduated here early, which meant his academics were ahead of the curve, and we have a lot of guys like that. And then those guys open even more opportunities to our other guys. It may not be D-I, but D-II is still great football and a free education, which is the best for them.” Glazer said the entire coaching staff should be credited in sending numerous guys to colleges every year. Many defensive players, including LeCounte, played alongside McMillan, and the current Buckeye linebacker often was seen assisting the Panthers’ training when he periodically came home during school breaks in the spring and summer. Glazer said this year’s defense has set the bar high, and the confidence the players bring to the field likely will get them to their goal.