Cardinals have experienced backfield

ADAMSVILLE – It was about a year ago when Adamsville head football coach Brandon Gray was informed his team’s schedule going into the 2015 season had the distinction of having defending league champions in the first five weeks of the season.

That’s not the case this year, but that doesn’t make Gray feel any easier about the schedule.

“It’s the same programs, and they’ve all been good for at least a few years now,” Gray said. “So they might not have won their region, but they’re still quality opponents. Right now our goal is to get a first down on them.”

But Gray admits that’s how he prefers it. The Cardinals’ program didn’t rise up the ranks of the top programs in West Tennessee playing a bunch of teams they should beat by 35 points every week.

“You don’t get better like that,” Gray said. “And we want to get better because we want to compete well if and when we get to the quarterfinals then the semifinals and hopefully get back to Cookeville.”

If the Cardinals do get to Cookeville this season, they will do so in a way that’s different for them.

Graduating guys like Benji Smith and Dylan and Blake Sweat, who were all multi-year starters on the offensive line, decreases the Cardinals’ size up front considerably. Gray said what this year’s line relatively lacks in size is made up for in athleticism.

“Our guys last year were hard to move around,” Gray said. “Once they got in their spot, they were good about not letting anybody get around them.

“Our guys this year may look like they’re easier to get around, but you’ve got further to go to get around them because they’re a little quicker in their movement.”

But if the players on the line do their job as well as their predecessors from last year, Adamsville has a chance to be really good by its own standards.

With the exception of two – Laderrick Means and Austin Cotner – every contributing player in the backfield is back.

Dylan Whirley is the leader of the group, and he’s usually one mentioned first by opposing coached when asked about Adamsville.

“We plan on rotating a few other guys in there, but Dylan has been a great leader for us the past couple years,” Gray said. “And we need that out of him again this year because of those great teams we have on our schedule.”

Brandon Shields, 425-9751

Adamsville Cardinals

Last year’s record/finish: 10-2 and Class 2A second round/Region 6-2A champion

3 key returners: Dylan Whirley (RB); Ryan Nixon (WR); Chase Boudreaux (RB)

3 key games: Sept. 2 at TCA; Sept. 16 vs. McKenzie; Sept. 30 at Jackson Christian