Young Leopards looking to turn the corner

HOMER — For the last two seasons, depth has been the biggest deterrent to Banks County building momentum.

If the spring and summer are any indication for the Leopards as the 2022 season draws near, that may be a thing of the past.

Fifth-year coach Banks County coach Jay Reid has seen the numbers jump to more than 50 players as they prepare for their opener against Johnson next week.

After four consecutive .500 or better seasons and a 4-6 mark in Reid’s first season, the Leopards have managed just three total wins the past two seasons as COVID-19 and injuries derailed both campaigns. Reid said developing depth is the first necessary step to becoming competitive again.

“We’ve been building relationships with the younger guys and working the hallways, and that is starting to pay off,” Reid said. “The first step is getting the kids to come out. The increase in numbers will certainly help us find the right guys for the right spots and also help us continue to develop players.”

After seeing thin rosters the last two seasons, there was very little experience in the moment. The upside, however, was the amount of playing time the younger players received as a result.

The Leopards have a pair of big, young classes that benefited from the past couple of seasons. Now, they are ready to begin putting their own mark on the program.

Who would replace graduated quarterback Bowen Roberts to run their multiple offense was a major question mark but senior Caine Griffith won the job over two other candidates, sophomore Kolby Watson and freshman Brodie Stafford. Watson will play receiver while Stafford will over the defense as a linebacker. But both may see some action under center at times.

Improvement on a unit that averaged just 12.6 points/game over the past two seasons is crucial.

“They each bring something a little different,” Reid said. “Caine saw some action last year, and that’s huge. But all of them will play somewhere on the offense.”

Senior Andrew Shockley is expected to get the early nod at running back, with sophomores Cam Cooper and Aucy Jacobs seeing action as well.

The wide receiver group may be the Leopards’ deepest and most talented position, with the ability to go 6, 7, even 8 deep for plenty of fresh options in their passing game.

Juniors Aaron Scott, Zack Dickey, and Colin Caudell will open atop the depth chart with Shockley, Cooper, and Jacobs out of the backfield, and Reid’s offense will have more than enough options.

Reid said the offensive line “finished strong” last year, and they will have some depth to work with.

Seniors Aubrey Allen and Eli Ward are the only returnees, but juniors Bhrett Kaminski and Bret Griffin also return with experience. Juniors Mason Dodd and John Shubert and sophomore Levi Johnson, and senior tight end Jonathan Burkett should give them more than enough options.

“Just being more consistent overall on offense is a huge step we need to take,” Reid said. “We want to be balanced, and we have a lot of players that can rotate in at all three skilled positions, so it’s just a matter of finding where everyone fits best.

“Our biggest focus is on cutting down on penalties and mistakes that killed us the last couple of years. We’re making progress, I feel.”

The defense played better than their 31 ppg average in 2021. They did lose their top two tacklers from a year ago but have an experienced group overall returning and should improve with a more consistent offense.

Banks County returns almost its entire secondary, led by senior Shane Roberts and junior Aaron Scott, who will be joined by a pair of talented sophomores in Jacobs and Smith.

Senior Jonathan Burkett, junior Robert Walker, and sophomore Levi Johnson will anchor a solid front. The biggest hole to fill will be at linebacker, where Shockley and sophomore Cam Cooper are the only returning starters.

The Leopards and Union County are the only holdovers from Region 8-2A after the reclassification but have a much more forgiving schedule than in 2021, where they eventually played four region champions.

They have some challenging but winnable games in their non-region schedule, and Reid is hoping to use some early momentum to earn their way into the playoffs.

“We played much better than our record last year, I thought. We played a lot of good teams last year and know what it’s like to play playoff teams,” he said. “The key was just making too many mistakes and some bad penalties at the wrong times. Our focus has been on cutting down on those things. 

“I definitely feel like we can be competitive all season with this group. We have talent in a lot of key spots. If we can get the ball rolling early, that could carry us into the second half of the season. We’re really looking forward to this year with this group.”