Big shoes to fill for Red Devils
Elkmont’s football team has some big shoes to fill. The Red Devils lost 13 seniors from last year, but it’s not the just numbers that were lost. Nearly all of those seniors were major contributors the past few seasons, leaving a void for upcoming players to fill.
Second-year head coach Sean Holt believes the players he has are more than capable of filling that void.
“I think our strength right now more than anything else is our attitude,” Holt said. “We’ve got some really good kids that are working really hard. They’re easy to coach. They listen to what we are telling them to do. We’re going to be playing a lot of younger players, but we’re not going to use that as an excuse not to get better.”
Hayden Huseth, Cole Glass, Skyler Gant, Dan Logan and Cody Martin are just a few names that the Red Devils must replace this season. Those players alone were responsible for 35 touchdowns and more than 300 tackles last season.
With so much production gone from a team that made it to the second round of the playoffs, duplicating those numbers might be too much to ask. With many of those departing seniors playing both ways last year, Elkmont returns two starters on offense and three on defense.
“We’ve got to get better at everything. We’ve got to find the right players for the right positions,” Holt said. “We want to put the right people in the right place, so we get the best players on the field. We’re having to start over.”
On offense, the Red Devils will adjust their offensive philosophy to match the returning personnel. For the past several years, Elkmont has enjoyed success running a spread offense. Holt said the offense will go back to a more traditional identity.
“We’re going to be multiple,” Holt said. “We’re going to make the defense have to work. We’ll use multiple formations. The change is more to match our personnel. We have bigger linemen this year, but they are younger.”
Holt hopes he can depend on that young group of offensive linemen to pave the way for the running backs and protect the quarterback in what should be a more balanced attack than the one Elkmont had last season.
Linemen Jon Jon William, Kody Clark, Jake Marshall and Eli Vining will be the core group along the offensive line. Many of those players will play both ways, but Holt said he believes it is important to allow his offensive linemen to develop chemistry playing together.
“The most depth we have as far as having people is on the line,” Holt said. “We’ve got a set offensive line and they are going to play every snap unless they get hurt. We want to make sure that those guys stay together. They’ve got to have some cohesion. On the defensive line, we’ve got a rotation to stay fresh.”
That young offensive line will have to grow up quickly in what looks to be a much tougher region slate this season. Although Fort Payne, Rogers and Sheffield — three of Elkmont’s losses last season — are gone from the schedule, they’ve been replaced with two of the top five teams in Class 3A. Deshler, a perennial power in 4A moves down a classification for the first time in school history and will be the favorite to win the region. The other strong contender in the region will be Madison Academy, which beat Elkmont 42-0 in the second round of the playoffs on its way to the state championship game.
Luckily for Elkmont, the Red Devils won’t face the region favorites until the second half of the season. For such a young team, Elkmont will need all the time it can get to find its footing and fill the shoes of those who are gone.
Elkmont kicks off its season in Ardmore at 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 31.
Luckily for Elkmont, the Red Devils won’t face the region favorites until the second half of the season. For such a young team, Elkmont will need all the time it can get to find its footing and fill the shoes of those who are gone.
Elkmont kicks off its season in Ardmore at 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 31.
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