The DeKalb County football team looks to return to the playoffs in 2011 after missing them, for the first time in three years, last season. In 2008 and 2009 the Black and Gold won road playoff games in consecutive years for the first time in school history. Last season, DeKalb County went just 3-7, but narrowly lost a couple of those games. The Tigers were young last season but gained some valuable playing experience. They only lost six seniors; Shane Salley, Kevin Kijanski, Cody Poss, Devin Thomas, Randy Hansard and Matt Giles. “You hate losing seniors, because you see them over four years,” said DeKalb County head coach, Steve Trapp. “With the numbers we have in the junior class and the five seniors we have coming back, and with all of them contributing, it shouldn’t hurt as bad. It will hurt us more two years from now when all of this year’s juniors leave. However, I feel we have replaced what we lost from a year ago and we should be fine. All of the juniors played last year as sophomores. We are young but experienced. People will probably say that DeKalb County, with a record of 3-7 last season and playing a bunch of sophomores and freshman, are probably not going to be very good in 2011. That’s fine, they certainly have a right to their opinion. But I don’t feel that is going to be the case, and neither to the kids. Ultimately though, we have to step out there and prove it. I can’t wait to hit the field!”
The DCHS campus has become a great atmosphere to watch football on Friday nights over the past few seasons. This is very different from the atmosphere just a few short years ago, before Trapp took over as Head Coach. In recent years, spectators are forced to arrive at least an hour early to have any chance of finding a seat. Late comers usually find themselves standing for the entire game. Coach Trapp is confident the excitement this team will generate will be no different. “I feel like this is the best roster, top to bottom, that I have had since I have been here,” stated Trapp. ”I am not trying to take anything away from the other kids I coached, but this year we have depth and experience. I don’t know if I have an All-State player like I did a couple of years ago (Abram Edwards and Hunter Poteete), but we are balanced and pretty solid at every position.”
The Tigers will carry a 51 man roster in 2011. The roster will consist of five seniors, seventeen juniors, six sophomores and twenty-three freshmen. The Tigers’ Defense could be one of the Black and Gold’s strengths this season; something that has definitely been a weakness in the past. DeKalb County has typically played shootout games in years past, but hopes to win some games on defensive side of the ball this season. “Defensively, up front, we only have one senior lineman on either side of the ball in Jake Odom,” said Trapp. “All of the returning linemen played both sides of the ball last year, but should not have to this season. We have got a D-line rotation of about 6-7 guys that we can use, with only one being a senior. When you stick in our linebackers, I feel like our front seven will be a unit like we haven’t had here before. I really feel that confidently about it. I think they have really taken to the new defensive scheme.”
2011 DCHS Seniors
As for the new defensive scheme, the Tigers are entering their third straight year with a different man at the helm of the defense. Two years ago Kevin Young was the head defensive coach, last year being replaced by Ben Johnson. This year, Coach Trapp has hired a new face to the Tigers’ coaching staff in Don Berninger. ”Berninger, was Defensive Coordinator at Cannon County for two seasons in 08 and 09,” said Trapp. “He has been a defensive coordinator on the collegiate level and a head coach at a high school program in Florida, one that won multiple state championships. He is a great guy and really fits in with our philosophy of how we want to treat these kids and how we want to coach them, along with the aspects away from the game. He knows football. He is one of those old school guys that has a lot of fire in him. I think he fits our program well. The kids love playing for him. You can see that already. With what he has brought, and the personnel we have, I am excited to see what we are going to have on that side of the ball.”
Coach Berninger will play a little bit of a different defense than the team has the past few seasons. “It’s going to be a little bit more aggressive,” continued Trapp. “Last year, I felt like we tried to do something a little bit different each week, rather than adopt a philosophy and stick to it. A couple of years ago, we ran a 3-5-3. We got after it and that is what we did. It did not matter what our opponents were doing, it was about what we did. I like that philosophy. It was more of an aggressive style. I think it’s going to be more like that this year. That is not to say we will not make adjustments and not to say Ben (Johnson) didn’t do a good job or anything like that. He knew what he was doing. I am just excited about what we can put on the field this year. The players have been adapting quickly. Coach Bernie felt like the players were grasping things quickly early on, so he added more stuff into the defense. There are some similarities in what we are doing this year, compared to what we did last year. It is just ties what they already know with what we are trying to do this year.”
Trapp believes there will be some exciting players to watch this year on defense. “Eli Gill is a 6 foot, 300 pound sophomore, with some quickness and ability to really clog up the middle to let our linebackers run. Senior, Sebastian Phillips, had a spring like no other. He was everywhere and he was actually playing outside linebacker. Since then, we have moved him to middle linebacker because we needed someone that is instinctive and that can see something and can get a check or change the defense. He has been playing this sport a long time. With 300 pounds of Eli Gill clogging up the middle and Sebastian’s speed, I expect a big year in the middle. Our linebacker crew all have speed. Ricky Spare, a sophomore, is penciled in at the weak side linebacker spot. He was number two until we started practice and then just elevated himself. We also have Connor Apple out there. Both of those guys are fast and don’t care to hit you. Coach Bernie said this defense will be about speed and not being afraid to hit, and I told him I did not think he had anything to worry about there. At strong side linebacker, we have Cody Puckett. That is a guy that plays close to the line of scrimmage, a guy that will get in there and just mix it up. We have Dylan Freeney behind him. Jake Odom will be strong at defensive tackle. We have Caleb Cantrell and Gage Brown at defensive ends, and we have a guy behind each one of them. Matt Boss is going to be our starting right guard, but will also get a lot of playing time on the defensive side, too. In our secondary, veteran Zach Taylor will be looked on to be the leader. He has been playing back there since he was a sophomore and will play safety this season. Chris Chapman will also be back there. They are two guys who are going to come up and hit and are not afraid. At the corner positions are Alex Hayes and Will Molander. We feel really good about those 11 guys and the three or four that we can roll in there for substitutes. We really expect the defense to show something that I have not seen during my time at DeKalb County. We have had some good offenses, but we gave up too many points, and I expect that will change this year. The potential of our front seven will help our secondary. The ball is going to have to come out quicker and that will help the secondary. Will (Molander) was playing there last year before he got hurt. Losing him really affected our team on both sides of the ball and even on special teams. He has put on a little bit of weight this year, and he is the type of guy that has that first step quickness that is really dangerous in high school football,” said coach Trapp.
As for the offense, this year the Tigers will look to be more balanced. In the past few years DeKalb County has been a sling it first kind of team and run the football to keep you honest. “Last year we mixed it up quite a bit,” added Trapp. “We are going to do that again this year. We have some new things we worked on this spring. Our offense will be traditional with a few wrinkles in it. I feel we have the ability to change up the offense depending on what look our opposing defenses are giving us. I am excited about that. I think this year we will have the right kids and the right mindset to take advantage of more offensive looks.”
Last year, there were some questions at the quarterback position entering the season with the departure of Hunter Poteete. Then senior, Shayne Salley earned the initial starting job. However, mid-way through the season Coach Trapp went to then sophomore, Lucas Phillips who gained a lot of experience and will remain at the position in 2011. “I can sleep a little better at night knowing I have a returning quarterback in Lucas Phillips,” said Trapp of his Junior quarterback. “He is somebody that no one else in the district or anywhere else is really talking about, but I feel that he is going to have a super year for us. Whatever we need to do offensively, I feel that we can do it. If we want to run I-backs, I think we can do it, but I definitely think that we can throw the ball. Lucas has come a long way and has beefed up a little in the weight room. He is always doing extra work after practice and attended a few camps this summer. He has worked hard on his skills and being a leader of this team. That allows me to focus more on some other positions now that he has a good grasp of the offense. He has a good command of the offense and I am excited about his opportunity to shine for us this year.”
The Black and Gold look to have some good protection for Phillips this season. They have some size and experience up front, retuning for 2011. “It starts with the guys up front,” said Trapp. ”Personnel wise, this group is probably the best I have had here. That may be a bold statement, but I think we are bigger what we have been. Cole Parsley, our center, is our smallest guy at 195 pounds, while everyone else is 225 pounds and more. Caleb Cantrell, a junior, will be better after gaining experience playing right tackle as a sophomore last year. Gage Brown is moving from guard to left tackle to give us a little more athletic ability at that position. Matt Boss will be on the inside at left guard and Cameron Rhea on the right side. These guys are going to be together for two years and some of them have been playing together for three years already. Many times, we go into the season and may have to find a whole new offensive line. There were actually three seasons in a row where we lost our up front guys each year. The guys we have now are going to have 3-4 years of experience. It helps going into spring and on the first day with pads, because these guys have worked together. Because of that, they can speed things up a bit. We have eight offensive linemen and Jake Odom can roll in at guard and tackle if we need him to. Spencer Stanfield is one of our linemen and will see some time at defensive end also. We can also use Eli Gill on the offensive line. Furhermore, we have about six linemen in the freshman class who are going to be really good football players for us.”
Trapp also had some offensive players for fans to keep an eye on this year. ”Dylan Freeny will get the starting nod at the running back position.” said Trapp. “He is one of our five seniors. He has great speed and if he gets through the first level, he can break it. Cody Puckett and Chris Chapman will also see time in the back-field. I love the way Chapman runs the football. I have been impressed with him this spring. He is hard–nosed and runs the ball well. Look for him to get a few carries early in the season. We feel like we have some depth at the running back position and will use that to our advantage. Cody (Puckett) has not played football in a while, but what really surprised me about him was his natural ability to move. As far as drills for linebackers, he was a natural fit. When it comest to pickng up a scheme, he is intuitive and asks questions and things like that. There are things he has to learn, but he has potential. Terminology wise, this is all Greek to him, but the positive to that is; he has never heard anything else. He is absorbing everything and doing a good job. Sebastian Phillips will play many roles for us. He will play receiver, fullback and tight end. He catches the ball well and has plenty of speed. I think we may be a little more dangerous on our inside receivers this year than we have in the past. We have the likes of Sebastian (Phillips) on one side and Will (Molander) and Zach (Taylor) on the other. Jason Judkins is another receiver that will see a lot of action this season. On the outside, Jacob Parsley and Alex Hayes will be lining up one side with Conner Apple and Zach Thompson on the other. All these guys know what to do each and every play. That makes it so much easier coaching them and calling plays. If we can catch the football, we will be good. We do not have the explosiveness on the outside we have in the past, but I think we can take advantage of what we have,” commented Trapp.
DCHS Head Coach Steve Trapp
Special teams will play a key role in the Tigers success this season and with a veteran kicker coming back in senior in Zach Taylor, DeKalb County looks to be strong in this area of the game. “Zach has been our kicker for the last three years and had a really good sophomore year,” said Coach Trapp. “However, he can do a lot more than just kick. Zach is one of those special players that I can put anywhere on the field and he will produce. Zach went to a couple camps this summer and worked hard on developing his skills. With him being a senior this year, we are expecting him to be consistent; make all his extra-points, and kick the football in the end zone on kickoffs. As far as field goals go, I am comfortable lining him up from forty-five yards out. He has been making them consistently this summer. He is a senior and will be counted on in a lot of different ways this season.”
Of the 23 freshmen Coach Trapp has on this team, Trapp thinks it may be tough for them to crack the starting lineup, but not impossible. “With us playing a lot of young guys last year, it will be tough for the freshmen to get on the field this season,” concluded Trapp. “However, at some positions there are opportunities if they show that they are mentally and physically capable. We have a couple of freshman sprinkled in on special teams and if they play well there, they could find themselves in a bigger role somewhere else. We do not care to play freshmen if they are talented enough. Coach Tad Webb and his staff have done a great job of developing players on the middle school level, mentally and physically the last few years. The kids come in with the right work ethic and terminology, giving them at least a chance to play right away.”
DeKalb County opens up in Week 0 with a trip to Warren County, a border rival that has drawn a large crowd the last several years, whether the game was played in Smithville or McMinnville. The Tigers will look to break a two-game losing streak to the Pioneers. This series only dates back to 2005 when the two teams met for the first time. Since then, they have played each and every season. DeKalb County is 1-5 in the series with the only win being a 43-25 victory at home, in 2008. Last year, the Pioneers narrowly escaped Smithville with a 19-16 win.
DeKalb County did play McMinnville Central from 1963 through 1968 posting a 1-4-1 mark. The only win was a 19-12 victory in 1964 when the head coach was John Brock. The team’s record was 5-5 that season. It was the second year for football at DCHS. The Tigers also had a brief stint against McMinnville City School in 1967 and 1968. The Black and Gold were blown out in both those games-54-19 in 1967 and 48-7 in 1968.
