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As is usually the case with spring football practice, Sterlington coach Mike Collins has seen a combination of positives and negatives.
Friday marks the end of the spring session. Under new LHSAA rules, teams were allowed 10 workouts over a two-week period starting May 9. Friday’s session will give the Panthers eight practices (the Panthers skipped two days due to graduation activities).
“We’ve had four good days,” Collins said Tuesday, five practices into camp. “Our first three days were real good, but Thursday’s scrimmage wasn’t too good.”
Collins says the coaching staff is using the spring practices as an evaluation tool.
“Right now, we’re just trying to evaluate personnel — that’s the bottom line,” Collins said. “Instead of seeing them in the weight room and looking at names on a board, we’re able to get them outside and see them moving around.”
Sterlington has 12 starters back — seven on offense, five on defense — from last year’s 6-5 team.
“Our main concern is depth,” Collins said. “We’re young and we have a lot of people in new positions.”
Chet Parks and Alex Gordon, the only two returning starters on the offensive line, have flip-flopped positions with Parks moving to tackle and Lambert shifting to guard.
Taylor Lockwood, who started all 11 games as a sophomore, returns at quarterback.
One advantage the Panthers have over last season is being familiar with the offense. At this time last season, the offense was in the process of transitioning from the spread to the flexbone.
Alex Edwards and Jacob Little, a pair of juniors-to-be, are projected as the starting running backs following the loss of Grant Bardin (186 carries, 1,010 yards, 11 touchdowns) to graduation and T.J. Gulley (107-493-4), who moved to Denver.
JaQuarius Douglas and QuenTerrius Gray both saw extensive playing time at wingback as freshmen last fall. Douglas (74-428-6) was the team’s third-leading rusher and tied for second on the team in receiving with 11 catches for 204, yards and 4 TDs).
Conner Bryan (14 receptions, 176 yards, 5 TDs) and Casey Sutton (11-200-1) return at the wide receivers.
Defensively, the Panthers’ biggest loss was linebacker Dustin Theut, who recorded a team-high 123 tackles.
Cole Abernathy (54 tackles) and William Reppond (40 tackles) have moved from linebacker to defensive end this spring.
The remaining returning starters are linebacker Jake Auger, cornerback Derek Price and safety Conner Bryan.
Bryan was second on the team with 73 stops last season. Auger, whose spring was cut short due to a mild concussion, had 39 tackles as a sophomore. Price, the starting point guard for the basketball squad, won a starting job despite joining the team after the season started.
As is usually the case with spring football practice, Sterlington coach Mike Collins has seen a combination of positives and negatives.
Friday marks the end of the spring session. Under new LHSAA rules, teams were allowed 10 workouts over a two-week period starting May 9. Friday’s session will give the Panthers eight practices (the Panthers skipped two days due to graduation activities).
“We’ve had four good days,” Collins said Tuesday, five practices into camp. “Our first three days were real good, but Thursday’s scrimmage wasn’t too good.”
Collins says the coaching staff is using the spring practices as an evaluation tool.
“Right now, we’re just trying to evaluate personnel — that’s the bottom line,” Collins said. “Instead of seeing them in the weight room and looking at names on a board, we’re able to get them outside and see them moving around.”
Sterlington has 12 starters back — seven on offense, five on defense — from last year’s 6-5 team.
“Our main concern is depth,” Collins said. “We’re young and we have a lot of people in new positions.”
Chet Parks and Alex Gordon, the only two returning starters on the offensive line, have flip-flopped positions with Parks moving to tackle and Lambert shifting to guard.
Taylor Lockwood, who started all 11 games as a sophomore, returns at quarterback.
One advantage the Panthers have over last season is being familiar with the offense. At this time last season, the offense was in the process of transitioning from the spread to the flexbone.
Alex Edwards and Jacob Little, a pair of juniors-to-be, are projected as the starting running backs following the loss of Grant Bardin (186 carries, 1,010 yards, 11 touchdowns) to graduation and T.J. Gulley (107-493-4), who moved to Denver.
JaQuarius Douglas and QuenTerrius Gray both saw extensive playing time at wingback as freshmen last fall. Douglas (74-428-6) was the team’s third-leading rusher and tied for second on the team in receiving with 11 catches for 204, yards and 4 TDs).
Conner Bryan (14 receptions, 176 yards, 5 TDs) and Casey Sutton (11-200-1) return at the wide receivers.
Defensively, the Panthers’ biggest loss was linebacker Dustin Theut, who recorded a team-high 123 tackles.
Cole Abernathy (54 tackles) and William Reppond (40 tackles) have moved from linebacker to defensive end this spring.
The remaining returning starters are linebacker Jake Auger, cornerback Derek Price and safety Conner Bryan.
Bryan was second on the team with 73 stops last season. Auger, whose spring was cut short due to a mild concussion, had 39 tackles as a sophomore. Price, the starting point guard for the basketball squad, won a starting job despite joining the team after the season started.
