PANTHERS

Ayoung head coach is going back in time to find the right offense for his new football team. While new to the program at Lenoir City High School, Gary Dugger is introducing the single-wing attack.

With only four Panthers starters returning on offense, the team features a starting quarterback who has never taken one snap during a varsity game.

“And some of those kids we’ve moved to other positions just because we’re going to change the style of football from what they’ve previously done,” Dugger said about his run-oriented attack, which is a sharp contrast to the “last few years” at LCHS “where they’ve been air raid, they’ve been spread.

“When we evaluated the personnel that we have, we want to be a physical, kind of a downhill, smash-mouth team,” he added. “We’ll be a little more old school. We’ll do some things offensively that you don’t necessarily see when you turn on the TV every Saturday and Sunday.”

As for being familiar with single wing, “I’ve done that before. I’ve worked for a guy in Florida and in Alabama (who have) done it for a long time and had success with it,” Dugger said. “In 2019, I was a head coach in Florida for one year, and we had it in our package.”

As for making it successful at Lenoir City, “We can be good up front with our (offensive) line,” the new coach said.

Top offensive talent

That unit will be led by senior tackle Leo Gonzalez, a First Team All-Region selection and the Panthers’ biggest player at 6-foot-5, 300 pounds. “He has had a little traction going in terms of recruiting this offseason. He’s picked up four or five scholarship offers,” Dugger said.

Looking at film of Gonzales during varsity games, “when he gets his hands on you, he wants to impose his will and finish on top — a pancake,” the coach said. “… We hope what we do on offense suits his style of play.”

Moreover, “He’s got a reputation around town for being a tremendous person,” he added.

Senior tailback Chris McCord will look to fly through the holes Gonzales and other Panthers linemen make. “Chris has had a great offseason,” Dugger said. “He’s a kid who looks for every opportunity to work. … Good strength, good speed.

“In the open field, teams will have a hard time bringing him down,” the coach added.

Top defenders

Meanwhile, two of the team’s most talented defensive

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