By Concepcion Ledezma Riverbend News
Hamilton County High School (HCHS) football coach Kirk Mitchell was thrilled to see the knack for the big plays by the returning players and newcomers alike.
In the Red vs. White controlled scrimmage -- no kicks or punts -- at HCHS, senior-to-be wide receiver Jeremiah Gibson picked up where he left off last fall, scoring on an 80-yard reception and a nine-yard run as the White team prevailed 24-0 in a Friday, May 14, matchup.
In reality, the score wasn't important as coaches experimented with some players switching sides to test how they blend as they prepared to face Bell and Branford High Schools in a spring jamboree at Branford on Monday, May 24.
"I'm very encouraged by what I've seen," said the coach, whose team is coming off a 2-6 record last fall, the coach's first season with the Trojans. "Once we get our offensive line and defensive line going, we'll be just fine in the fall."
Besides the effort of Gibson, who was the Trojans' leading receiver in the fall with 19 catches, 289 yards (15.2 yards per catch average) and five touchdowns, the coaches saw newcomer Trevion Hernandez stand out as wide receiver as well.
Hernandez, a senior-to-be who attended Gainesville Buchholz High last fall, took a shovel pass from Deontavious Cooper and covered 80 yards for a breakaway touchdown. Hernandez also intercepted a pass in the scrimmage as a defensive back.
The quarterback spot, according to Coach Mitchell, is up for grabs between five candidates. Left-hander Julian Garcia, who was on the state final four baseball team, is looking to claim his spot as the frontrunner to the position.
However, senior-to-be Connor Jones is forcing the coaches to give him a long look as he completed all five of his passes in the scrimmage for 153 yards, including the long touchdown pass to Gibson.
Jones was also a standout as a defensive end with two quarterback sacks.
Besides also aiming for playing time as quarterback, senior-to-be Cooper, a newcomer from Columbia High, was also a standout as a defensive back with a fumble recovery.
The Trojans appear strong in the running back position, as well. Jaquan Strawder led all rusher with seven carries for 61 yards, including a 22-yard score. As a defensive back, the junior-to-be also had a sack and broke up a pass.
Jeff Walls, who was on the varsity team as a freshman last fall, also showed promise as a workhorse-type running back with four carries for 37 yards (4.2 yards per carries).
"We also have Chance Cherry and Jeremiah Gibson who can play running back," Mitchell said. "So that gives us a lot of options for running back."
Defensively, the names most often mentioned involved in tackles from the public address system was lineman Roman Perez and linebacker Amir Williams.
In all, 31 players suited up for the class 1A program.