MAGNET COVE Good times

Offseason and summer workouts were good to Magnet Cove, and Coach Caleb Carmikle said it showed six days ago.

The Panthers rolled past Murfreesboro 42-7. Magnet Cove led 21-0 in the opening quarter and never looked back in blowing past the Rattlers for the second year in a row.

“We kind of went over and laid an egg in our scrimmage at Fountain Lake, so we really challenged the guys to elevate their performance,” said Carmikle, whose team beat Murfreesboro 67-38 last season. “For an opener, I’m pretty pleased with the way we played.

“This team has a lot of potential. We’ve got some immaturity in spots where we really have to continue to improve at as far as being mentally ready on Friday nights. But they were dialed in from the get-go and really responded well. It was a good night.”

Carmikle credited his team’s experience for getting them off and running. Magnet Cove had as many as 18 starters return from a team that advanced to the Class 2A playoffs last season. The Panthers, who’ll host Bismarck next, got a two-touchdown game from Julius McClellan, a 6-2, 185-pound junior who’s expected to cause teams problems all year.

“They always say that the biggest jump for a kid is between their sophomore and junior year,” Carmikle said. “Julius had a phenomenal offseason in the weight room, and his body has really developed. He’s got explosiveness and strength to go with his long body. He has the potential to be a bigtime football player.

“We’re hoping he can have another big game against Bismarck. That team is much improved, and they showed that when they came out and put it on Dierks last Friday night. It’s a little bit of a rivalry game with two schools in the same county, so there’s a lot of excitement going in.”