Bauxite in good spirits despite no-win season
Usually after a team goes 0-10, there is a little bit of a carryover to the offseason. But according to second-year head coach Daryl Patton, the Miners’ attitude has been great.
“The kids are working hard and have great enthusiasm. Our numbers are up — right there in the low 50s, compared to 21 this time last year,” Patton said.
“We are bigger, faster, stronger than we were, and we have really deceptive speed. You would never know that we were 0-10,” he said.
“Good things are on the horizon. I’m really happy where we are today. Our kids are hungry. They know what we are up against, but they also know our past tradition in being a dominant football program,” Patton said.
“There is only one way to change it. … They have been practicing a lot better and doing a lot of things different,” he said. “They aren’t missing practices; they are here, dedicated and committed.
“They are excited for this season to start.” Bauxite returns 16 starters, including eight on offense.
Returning starter Seth McDowell, a junior, will make the move from running back to quarterback this fall.
“He is a very hardworking man,” Patton said. “He is very motivated and has really good speed. “He is a good football player.” McDowell will split time with sophomore Hunter Davis, who has “a nice arm.”
“Both of them are a little different,” Patton said. “They are leaders, and they are doing a good job with our offense. … We’ve got two guys who are working extremely hard.”
Patton said junior running back Dawson Dabbs placed fourth in the 100-meter dash at the 4A track meet. Senior Jonah Sorvillo, an all-state swimmer, will split time with Dabbs in the backfield.
“Dabbs is one of the fastest kids in the state, but they are all interchangeable,” Patton said. “It is a nice luxury to have.
“The season is not over if they get hurt. We have to do a good job of slowing the game down, controlling the game and keeping the other team’s offense off the field.”
Sophomore Hayden Edwards, who was the leading rusher in the ninth grade, will line up at fullback with junior Eason Sandage.
Three basketball players will make the transition to football this season, including senior defensive back Damon Irvin, senior tight end Brandon Hopkins and senior running back Colton Robinson.
“When you are a 4A school, you have got to have kids play multiple sports,” Patton said. “I have to give [basketball coach] Andy Brakebill a lot of credit. He had a lot to do with it and is really supportive to encourage them to come out and play.
“Our players did a good job of reaching out to some kids as well.”
Patton said Irvin is tall and lanky and has deceptive speed.
“Brandon is a really aggressive kid and a hard-nose player,” Patton said.
Junior Zack Lasage will return at left tackle for the offense.
“He is doing a really good job,” Patton said. “He will continue to get bigger and stronger.
“[Senior] Trace Talley, a move-in from Bryant, is probably the strongest player on the team.”
Capt. Drake Edwards will return at center after putting on 30 to 40 pounds. Junior Carson Collins will rotate at tight end with Hopkins.
Senior Clayton Reese will play wide receiver and could see time at kicker. He and freshman Katlyn Shepard are competing for the spot, the coach said.
“She’s really had a nice fall camp,” Patton said. “Good chance she might play. She has a chance to be really good over the next four years.”
Defensively, the Miners will line up out of the 3-4, with juniors Dawson Dabbs and Elijah Cruz manning the safety positions. McDowell and Emmanual Hervey will rotate in.
“That’s probably our strongest position on the team,” Patton said.
Collins and Hopkins will split time at one defensive end, while juniors Lasage and Jacob Thornberry will take the other.
“We’ve had a real good offseason, and it has carried over to spring and summer,” Patton said. “I am pleased with how the kids are working.
“We have a long way to go, but we are excited about where we are. We are ready and getting better every day.”