York’s football team has depth and versatility -- at some positions, the coach says

The York Cougars hope their success last year will carry over into the 2022 season.

Head coach Dean Boyd is optimistic.

“We have the opportunity to be a better team this fall,” Boyd said. “We lost a lot from last year, but we have a lot of experience returning. We are not at full capacity yet because of injuries, but we are getting there.”

Boyd said he sees the region as even tougher than it was last season.

“The region was already solid from top to bottom before realignment,” he said. “It will be a battle every Friday night in the region. I am excited about playing against that caliber of competition.”

Aiden Davis is the team leader at quarterback. The junior rushed for more than 1,000 yards and passed for nearly 700 last season.

“He is a fierce competitor,” Boyd said. “He has worked hard to improve his game, and he leads by example. He holds players accountable.”

The Cougars have three solid running backs in senior DeMontae Thompson, who missed last year with an injury, and juniors Javarus Guthrie and Anthony Wherry.

“We have a lot of versatility at running back,” Boyd said. “Our backs have both speed and power.”

The receivers are being led by DeMaurion Stewart, who is a junior, and Jonathan Tobias, who is a sophomore. Boyd is hoping that Zadarrius Carter, who is a junior, will return to action soon.

“We have good overall depth at the receiver position,” Boyd said. “They have good speed and run good routes.”

The offensive line will be led by three seniors and a junior. Zach Moss, Jim Totherow, and Ethan Brown are the seniors, while Hunter Layne is the junior.

“We have good depth in the offensive line,” Boyd said. “They are a versatile group, and I am very high on them.”

The defensive line is also being led by four outstanding players. AJ McKinley and Ty Williams are the seniors, and juniors Trey Wanger and Tay Byers join them.

“We have quite a bit of experience there,” the coach said. “They are very aggressive as a group, and we have good overall speed across the defensive front.”

York has a trio of players leading the linebacking corps. Thompson and classmate Matt Conn as well as junior Dalton Russell are expected to be the top players in that group. Russell is the top returning tackler.

“We have pretty good depth at linebacker,” Boyd said. “I feel really good about the way they read and react to the ball.”

Debo Hall and Tyler Thomas, both of whom are juniors, headline the defensive secondary.

“We are young back there, but they all have worked hard,” Boyd said. “That group will improve as the season progresses.”

Junior Zayne Beardsley will handle the place kicking, while junior Matt Waldrop will do the punting.

There has been eight surgeries since January and four players, who decided not to return for the 2022 season.

“We are not as deep as we had hoped to be in some places,” Boyd said. “Our goal is to find that depth as quickly as possible.”

Boyd is trying to limit the number of players who go both ways. He knows there will be some, but he emphasized that no lineman will play offense and defense.

The veteran coach was pleased with the progress the team made in the summer.

“We worked hard then,” he said. “We grew up a lot during the summer.”

The key for the Cougars to improve on last year’s overall mark of 7-4 and their 3-1 region record will be impacted by several factors.

“We need to do well in our tough non-region schedule to prepare us for the region,” Boyd said. “We need to stay healthy, continue to work hard, and stay together when adversity hits.”

This story was originally published August 9, 2022 at 3:20 PM.