Miller hopes Lightning are ready to take next step

Lanier Christian Academy coach Bruce Miller said there is nowhere to hide anymore.

After the Lightning made a trip to the GAPPS semifinals last season, coming off a 9-3 campaign in 2021, they have begun to put the program on the radar. Which means to him it's time for the players in the program to be ready.

"People know who we are now, which is a good thing for the program," Miller said. "But that also means teams know who we are and will be ready to bring their 'A game' every time. We have to start being ready to match that."

After a modest increase in numbers in 2022, the roster has maintained at "around 25 or so," but Miller is now trying to bring a winning consistency to the mindset of the program.

"They need to start upping the participation of things that aren't necessarily on the field. They need a little more sense of urgency," he said. "We're very close to building a program that can sustain itself, and it's time we all take it up a step."

The Lightning still have sophomore quarterback CJ Britt 1,800 yards with 25 TD, 5 INT), who Miller has heaped praise on since his first start last season. He will have plenty of targets with sophomores Ben Hargis and Andrew Batusic on the outside and Drew Kalnaukas and Isaiah Hrenic playing in the slot. Senior Shepard Acton and sophomore William Martin will fill the offense's tight end and flex positions.

The one key loss, and it's a big one, is the transfer of running back Zeke Clanton, who took his 2,000-plus yards over the past two seasons to Bethlehem Christian. Sophomore Isaiah Reddick, Clanton's backup last year, maybe poised to have a breakout season at running back.

"CJ is looking better every day," Miller said. "He can make all the throws. We just need to keep him healthy."

The Lightning have four returning along the offensive line, led by senior Qwinn Winfree and junior Josh Waymack at the two tackle positions. Junior Jordan Smith will start at guard, and sophomore Titus Lewinski will be at center. Miller said they can be "seven deep" coming into the fall.

The defense will be the key area of concern. They allowed just 15.7 points/game in 2022 but lost several key figures, including Clanton. But they will be young, with nearly a half dozen freshmen or sophomores set to main key spots. Miller said that sophomore defensive end William Martin could be a player to watch.

"We have some talent on defense, but they're still so young as far as experience. William has had a great summer," Miller said. "They're working hard and showing signs that they could be pretty good by the end of the season."

GRADUATION STINGS
RB Zeke Clanton (transfer), WR/FS Carter Raulerson, WR Isaac Dinn, WR/CB Camden Hohman

LIGHTNING WILL STRIKE ON OFFENSE
They averaged 42.4 ppg in 2022, and Britt is bigger and more experienced coming into his second season. They did lose several talented receivers but have a young squad ready to step up. If they can replace Clanton's production at RB, they should be even more explosive in 2023.

YOUNG BUT TALENTED DEFENSE
With the majority of key spots manned by freshmen and sophomores, there will probably be some growing pains early on the defensive side. But they have talent in key spots, and once they get going, they could be a formidable group.

BRITT & COMPANY WILL STILL BE STRONG
QB, WR — Britt threw for nearly 2,000 yards as a freshman and comes into his sophomore campaign with a better grasp of the offense. Miller said the unit has looked sharp all summer and could be better than last year's group despite the graduations and transfers.

"They clicked as a group pretty quickly during the spring and summer, so we're pretty excited about what they can do," he said. "If they continue to work hard and stay healthy, we're going to score a lot of points, I believe."

YOUTH & DEPTH COULD BE QUESTION MARKS
They may need everything the offense can give them early on, as the defense will be young and need time to find its groove. With a roster of only the mid-20s, depth will be an issue. They can't afford any major injuries and have a chance to better their finish from a year ago.

ALWAYS TOUGH SCHEDULE
Their challenging schedule includes four straight road games culminating in their GAPPS region opener against Pinecrest Academy. Home games against King's Academy and Cherokee Christian should decide the region. The Lightning dropped games to both last season on the road.

WHAT'S TRENDING
The Lightning have been on an upward trajectory since Miller took over, and nothing appears to stop that in 2023. Cherokee Christian denied them a region title and knocked them off in the semifinals last year. A win over the Warriors in 2023 could show LCA is continuing that forward progression.

(Caleb Hutchins contributed to this story.)