HS football: Rock Hill Bearcats will look different in 2020. But could they be better?
Ethan Dutton has good reason to remember the Rock Hill football team’s game against Nation Ford last season.
The kicker nailed a 44-yard field goal early in the second quarter. And on the ensuing kickoff — despite a dead-ball penalty that pushed the kickoff spot back 15 yards — Dutton nearly boomed the ball into the endzone in the air.
“That felt really good,” the now-senior told The Herald during a summer workout Tuesday.
In many ways, Rock Hill’s 31-7 win over Nation Ford told the story of the 2019 Bearcats: Their special teams were potent, displayed by Dutton’s season-long field goal and a Tylik Edwards punt return for a touchdown. Their defense was reliable, allowing less than 100 yards of Nation Ford total offense. And their offense, despite being responsible for a pick-six in the first half, was steady.
Since that October game, though, several key Rock Hill football players on that 2019 team graduated.
It’s no secret: The Bearcats will look a bit different in 2020 than they have in years past.
But could they be better?
It’s true that Rock Hill, which went 7-4 overall and 3-1 in its region before losing in the first round of the state playoffs last year, boasted a 2019 defense that allowed less than 16 points and 240 yards of total offense a game. It’s true, head coach Bubba Pittman said, that the 2020 team will have to replace nine starters (of 11) on defense — including Edwards, a defensive back who committed to play football at East Tennessee State in February — and four starters (of five) on the offensive line.
But it’s also true that Rock Hill returns talent in other units.
Senior quarterback Jackson Roberson, who started several games and threw for over 1,100 yards last season, told The Herald on Tuesday that he didn’t expect to have “this many weapons” going into his senior year.
On offense, Rock Hill has a lot of potential — potential that rests in players like Chase Gibson, who got meaningful reps at receiver as a sophomore last year; Anthony Arnette, a between-the-tackles running back who hasn’t played a full season of football since his freshman year; Mekhi Durant, an explosive slot receiver who also didn’t play last year but will be “key” this year, Roberson said; Ashton Peterson, the Bearcats’ spry running back who notched 372 yards on 61 rushes as a sophomore; Cam Walker, who led the team with eight touchdown catches in 2019; Robbie Outzs, the 6-4, 240-pound tight end who picked up an offer from Alabama in February; Jonah Moore, a senior offensive lineman; and others.
On special teams, Rock Hill returns Dutton, who made 10-12 field goals and went 27-28 on extra points last season. (Dutton also handled kickoff and punting responsibilities for the team in 2019.)
And on defense, despite the fact that the team won’t be returning many starters, Roberson said he has reason to believe his defense will be good, too.
“Last year, I mean, we had a really talented team, probably one of the best defenses in the state,” he said. “At first, you always get sad, you know, with those guys leaving because they’re a big part of your team. I mean, Tylik has been here ever since I got here in ninth grade.
“But the defense that I had for my JV year had six out of eight shutouts. And they’re going into their senior year now. I’m pretty excited to see what they’re going to do on that side of the ball.”
Maurice Bonneau Jr., a junior defensive lineman who got meaningful playing time as a sophomore on a senior-led defense, said he expects multiple leaders to emerge this season.
“You can’t just have one leader on the defense,” said Bonneau Jr., who recorded 20 total tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss in 2019. “Everybody has to step up.”
Coach Pittman told The Herald that about 100 players have participated in summer workouts (grades 10-12), and that despite how different this offseason has been, the Rock Hill program’s modus operandi hasn’t changed.
“I’ll tell you, it’s been really difficult,” Pittman said of the offseason affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced players to work out in smaller groups. “It’s just really hard to be with your whole team at once, you know? It’s a lot of individual meetings, meetings with position groups, meetings in small groups. So I’m anxious to get back where we could have the whole team together and start forming what this team is going to look like.
“But you know, our motto is still the same as it’s been the last several years. We’re going to be ‘Rock Solid.’ And that’s what we build our program on.”
Rock Hill football schedule
The Rock Hill football team is competing in Region 4-5A.
Sept. 25: Spring Valley (home)
Oct. 1 (Thursday): Sumter (home)
Oct. 9: Blythewood (away)
Oct. 16: Ridge View (home)
Oct. 23: Northwestern (away)
Oct. 30: York (away)
Nov. 6: South Pointe (home)
Editor’s note: This story is one of 15 high school football previews The Herald will run prior to the first game of the regular season on Sept. 25. Look out for a preview of the Nation Ford football team to appear at heraldonline.com later this week.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 8:22 AM.
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