Newcomer Jabari Frierson solidifies Rockvale secondary, but 'Juice' can play offense, too

Following Rockvale's football scrimmage against visiting Wilson Central on Friday, one of the Rockets yelled, "The Juice is loose!"

"Juice" is Rockvale senior Jabari Frierson, the newest member of the Rockets this season after moving from Columbia.

Already pegged to be a starter in what could be one of the area's top secondaries, Frierson got to show off some offensive skills in the scrimmage, running 70 yards for a touchdown during a 27-7 win over the Wildcats.

The speedy Frierson looks like a natural on offense, but this is actually his first time playing on that side of the ball.

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"I'm really explosive," Frierson said. "When I get the ball, I'm going to take off every chance I get. If I get the ball, I'm trying to score every time."

With a lot of Rockvale's top players playing on both sides of the ball, first-year coach Brian Guthrie knows he's going to need depth. That prompted him to give Frierson a chance to play on offense.

"We're going to have running back by committee a little bit," Guthrie said. "We're going so fast, and those guys need a break. We were just looking for another guy that can be explosive. We tried (Frierson) out about a week ago.

"He doesn't know the whole offense yet. We're working him in. But he's special. He has another gear and a little bit of wiggle, too."

"I wanted to try something new," Frierson said. "I'm pretty good at it, but I have a lot of work to do on offense."

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Rockvale's touted secondary returned starters Robbie Daniel (safety) and D.J. Thornton (corner) from last season, has a talented sophomore in Jaylan Morgan (safety) and added Frierson (corner) to the mix.

"(Frierson) was just that extra link," Guthrie said. "We knew we had Jaylan coming up, who is a sophomore, but he's special. Robbie has been our solid guy, a guy we can count on all the time. D.J. has been our version of a shutdown corner, and Jabari just solidified the whole secondary.

"We feel really good about these guys."

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Coming off the program's first playoff appearance last season, Rockvale is hoping to ride that momentum into the 2022 season. Adding players like Frierson can only help, especially if he becomes a factor on both sides of the ball.

"This man is fast," Rockvale quarterback Brennan Mayhew said about Frierson. "He brings the energy every day. He brings it in the game, too. He really ups our tempo on offense."

Rockvale, which went 7-4 last year, begins the season Aug. 19 at home against La Vergne.

"We can go big, as long as we stay humble, keep grinding and go at it every day at practice," Frierson said.

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.