Camp Tour Day 11: - The Sherando Warriors
Head Coach Bill Hall takes a moment to teach some of his younger players in practice. Hall's team looks strong again.
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Quarterback Ross Metheny looks fully recovered from his ankle injury in 2007. His leadership will be a major factor in Sherando's chances to return to the title game....
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Tailback Roger Smith Jr will be a solid replacement for last year's best in the region Markeith Brisco. Smith will partner with Kadeem Blackwood to give the Warriors a 1-2 punch in the backfield...
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STEPHENS CITY, VA - It's been nine long months since a broken ankle and a tough loss in the state championship happened to the Sherando Warriors, and even today, it is still on their minds. With that being said, the Warriors are glad to be just days away from the start of the 2008 season.
Three Augusts ago, the Warriors inserted a lanky, freshman quarterback into their starting lineup, and since then, Sherando has punished opponents on a yearly basis. Each year they have inched closer and closer to a ring fitting, and some believe that 2008 is their year.
Quarterback Ross Metheny returns for his senior season after suffering a badly broken ankle against Amherst. After surgery and rehab, the future UVA Cavalier is on his way back to 100%, and in practice this week, he looked as sharp as ever.
Head Coach Bill Hall enters his 6th season at the helm, and this year he is focused on making sure the new faces that enter the starting lineup this fall are ready.
"We have some new talent coming back, and we have some places where new guys will have to step up," said Hall. "We are excited about what we have, and that has a lot to do with Ross coming back healthy."
Hall is the first to admit that when his left-handed, signal caller is on the field, his team is tough to beat, as witnessed over the past three seasons where the Warriors have been dominant. In that span, Sherando has won three district championships and has also finished the past two seasons undefeated.
As Hall and his boys have learned, along with success comes more pressure, and higher expectations.
This year's Sherando team will need to replace the incredible production All Gameday Player of the Year Markeith Brisco gave them last fall. Brisco ran for 26 touchdowns and over 1,700 yards. The Warriors may not be able to find that production out of one guy, but they just might get it from two.
Enter Juniors Kadeem Blackwood and Roger Smith Jr. Both players are talented backs with different styles. While Smith is a solid runner between the tackles and can pick up the tough yards, Blackwood is a burner with 4.5 speed in the 40 yard dash. Both runners looked strong at practice, and all indications are, both will see plenty of carries this fall.
While the Warriors lost talented receiver Derek Crosen to graduation, they return one of the better targets in the region in Derrick Dehaney. Dehaney has grown a couple of inches since last year, and looks like a man playing with boys. At 6'3, his straight line speed is not considered to be blazing, but the young man knows how to get open, and once he has the ball in his hands, he is dangerous.
Metheny to Dehaney should be a common phrase heard on the Gameday Radio Network this fall, as both looked like they had great on-field chemistry already in camp.
For me, the big question mark for Sherando will be their line play, but Hall was quick to say that he was comfortable with the right side of his line, and that he was expecting the other side to be fine by the September 5th opener against Musselman, WV.
Defensively, the Warriors return one of the best linebackers in the state in All Gameday selection Nick Merchant, who also plays fullback for the Sherando offense. Make no mistake about it, when Merchant is roaming the field, everyone should buckle their chinstraps a little tighter. Even in practice, the hard-nosed senior rattled some headgear, which drew the praises of his assistant coaches and teammates.
The Warriors will have maturing to do in some areas, but based on what I have seen in practice, this team is the one to beat in Group AA this fall. They have leadership at the right places, experience in big games, and a hunger that has only gotten stronger since nearly capturing the hardware in 2007.
If they stay healthy, the Sherando Warriors are most definitely a playoff team, and should once again play host to the regional championship game in late November.
Camp Notes:
Metheny's Ankle Is Not An Issue:
Several times during practice Metheny scrambled or tucked the ball down and ran. He looked like he was just as nimble as last year, and more importantly, it appeared the injury was not even remotely on his mind. His arm strength has actually improved since last fall, and his passes have much more zip on them then I've seen in the past. Good signs for the Warriors, bad signs for the teams on the schedule!
Hall And The Iron Fist:
If you know Bill Hall, you know he's a mild talking gentlemen who rarely raises his voice. Well, go watch practice sometime. Hall doesn't yell all that often, but man when he talks his players listen. At one point, Hall stopped his speech to his team and just stared at a player who wasn't paying attention, and that stare was enough to pierce a shield. Hall's practices are regimented, timed perfectly, and crisp. It is no wonder his teams play soundly in all aspects of the game.
Physicality Is The Norm:
Sherando's practices feature more hitting than most of the ones I have witnessed. Every play, even in a passing drill was full contact until the whistle blew. No player was exempt from the hitting, except Metheny, and for good reason. We all saw what happened when he sat down for 2 quarters last December. All in all, this team works on its toughness every day in practice.
Bear Crawls Get The Point Across:
Miss a meeting or a weight lifting session and you will hate life if you play for Sherando. A handful of kids who showed up late for a weight lifting session the day we were there had some painful running to do at the end of practice. It gave me flashbacks to the one and only time I had to do them, and man, I don't miss those days. Be on time Boys!
Why Sherando Will Win Again:
Football starts and ends at the quarterback position, and in the trenches. Simply put, Sherando has the big boys, and the signal caller that can get it done. They are balanced on offense, and I actually think this team might end up being better than last year's team. Some things have to come together, but I am not one of the experts who think Millbrook or James Wood can topple these guys in 2008. When #15 is healthy, I'll place my bets on the Warriors.
Andy Hayes is the owner and founder of Gameday Magazine, and he can be reached by e-mail at GamedayMagazine@aol.com......
