The Clover football team will have experience on offense and defense this fall
The Clover Blue Eagles are hard at work for the 2022 football season, and head coach Brian Lane says his team can have a good year.
“Every year is a new year,” said Lane. “We have six starters back on both sides of the ball. I like our overall work ethic thus far.”
The region after realignment looks to be tougher.
“We added three new teams to the region this year, and it will be a tough region from top to bottom,” he said. “You can only control what you can control. We just have to go out and play our best each game.”
The Blue Eagles’ offense will be led by a pair of quarterbacks, who bring different skills.
Senior Joe Boyd was the starter the past two years. Junior Jaylon Hoover also is battling for playing time.
“They are different in their abilities,” Lane said. “They are both good leaders, and their differences will require defenses to adjust how they play depending on which one is in the game.”
Clover is looking for a trio of performers to lead the running backs. Senior Elijah Farmer, junior DeMarco Evans, and sophomore Landon Stone are leading that group.
“We have very good speed at the running back spot,” he added. “I am confident of their abilities to run tough on the inside as well as get outside.”
The Blue Eagles’ receiving corps is being led by senior Hunter Jaime and junior Dion Brown.
“We have excellent speed at the receiver positions,” Lane said. “We run good routes, and I am looking forward to the things that group can contribute to our offense this fall.”
A pair of veterans will lead the offensive line, senior Connor Mead and junior AJ Minder were starters last fall, and their experience will pay big dividends.
“I feel good about our offensive line,” he said. “We have a good group working in that part of our offense, and I like the way that the younger players are beginning to step up as we move along.”
The defensive line will be anchored by three players who started last year. Senior Omari Davis, junior Jayden Bryant, and sophomore Bubba Root all return.
“Those three are solid players,” Lane said. “Their experience will be most valuable. We are working to develop some depth up there, and I like the way that entire group is improving.”
The Clover linebacking corp is being led by a pair of veterans. Seniors Cooper Zohner and Sage Pennington return after productive seasons. Zohner was the top tackler on last year’s Blue Eagle defense, while Penninger led the team in sacks.
“Those two are good leaders,” he said. “They are very physical, and they are very versatile. That entire group shows a lot of promise.”
The secondary is being led by senior Nashon Suchanek. Lane called him one of the smartest players on the team.
“He leads by example back there,” Lane said. “That group is the smartest group on our team. They have worked hard, and I look for big things from them.”
A pair of juniors are working to do the kicking.
“Neal Farris and Haden Maddox are both getting time there,” the coach said. “One of them will end up doing the kickoffs, field goals, and extra points. Right now it looks like Farris will handle the punting for us.”
Depth in some spots is a concern, Lane said.
“We are deep at some positions, but we need to get better, and we are thin at other spots. We work every day to establish quality depth,” he said.
The Blue Eagles will have a few players going both ways.
“We are working to try and minimize that number,” Lane said. “We are hoping that we can limit the number of linemen who have to go both ways.”
Leadership is a key in every sport, and Lane said his team has excellent leadership.
“We have 29 seniors on this team. They have done a great job so far. We had a good off season in the weight room, and we worked hard this summer,” he said.
Clover looks to improve on the 5-4 overall mark and 3-1 region record from a year ago.
“First of all we have got to stay healthy,” Lane said. “We have excellent kids in our program. They need to keep working hard, get better every day, and stay focused.”