Carmikle looks to build on tradition
After losing a first-round playoff game for the first time since 2009, the Magnet Cove Panthers look ahead under first-year head coach Caleb Carmikle.
Ronnie Efird went 77-41-1 in a decade at Magnet Cove, the Panthers going 3-8 last year (their worst record since 2003) and fell to Hackett in the playoffs.
Carmikle, who led the Glenbrook (La.) Apaches from a 1-9 season to 5-6 in his two seasons as head coach, feels that despite the struggle last season, the team has come back hungry to win.
“With all of the negativity that went on throughout the last season and on into the offseason, you definitely worry about it carrying over,” he said. “When I got here, I found a group of kids who just want to win. If it were a tradition to lose, you’d be a little more worried, but these kids have grown up their whole lives seeing Magnet Cove win conference championships. If anything, it’s made them hungrier because they want to be the group that gets it back on track to what everybody’s used to.”
Despite describing himself as “a Spread guy,” Carmikle plans to put the weight of the season on the offensive and defensive lines.
“When I got here, after evaluating the personnel, I feel like the group of kids we have right now (the Spread) doesn’t fit them,” he said. “We’re really big up front, and we’re going to rely on our offensive and defensive lines to win the games for us. We’ll be a lot more run-oriented.”
Carmikle also brought defensive coordinator Brandon Godfrey with him from Minden, La. Godfrey “tag teams” with Robert Webb on coaching the defense, sharing game-plan responsibilities.
Senior center Carson Kennerly (6-3, 285) anchors the offensive line. Classmate Hudson Wade (6-2, 270) and junior Josh Spiva (5-11, 265) join the line at tackle while seniors Colton Edwards (5-9, 225) and Brandon Davidson (5-11, 255) start at guard.
Senior Canyon Bridges (62, 215) “worked really hard in the offseason and transformed his body,” Carmikle said. He and classmate Logan Gilsinger
(5-10, 200) will rotate on the offensive line.
“We’re really deep up front,” Carmikle said. “That’s not common at a 2A school. We’ve got, we think, several guys that can contribute on the offensive line. The offensive line is a position where you never know when somebody is going to get hurt. There’s so much banging and falling on each other that goes on, it makes you feel good to know that we’re pretty close to being two-deep in every spot.”
Senior fullback Tim Spiva
(5-9, 220) returns after suffering season-ending ACL injuries in both his sophomore and junior years, tearing one last year after recovering from a tear in the other.
“He’s worked really hard to get back into shape and play his senior year,” Carmikle said.
Classmate James Butler (58, 165) transferred from Cutter Morning Star in the spring and will be joined by junior Eli Dawson (6-0, 185) at slot. Several underclassmen will also rotate in at running back.
Carmikle said he was considering a two-quarterback system this season with junior Grant Eskola (5-9, 135) and sophomore Brennen Koller (61, 155).
“They’re kind of polar opposites,” he said. “Grant, his understanding of the offense is phenomenal. He’s like a coach on the field. Brennen brings a kind of athleticism that Grant doesn’t. I just want to give our kids the best chance possible to win; if it takes two quarterbacks, then we’ll do it.”
The Panthers bring a wealth of talent back to the defensive line, including two ends, senior Trenton Barber (6-3, 210) and junior Ty Dawson (6-3, 205), Carmikle touts as possibly “the best in the conference.” Dawson, moving in from Bryant, is “a real difference-maker.”
Gilsinger (5-10, 200) will rotate in at end while also spending quality time at nose guard, bringing “an edge that a lot of high school kids don’t have.”
When moving to an even front, Carmikle will pull offensive linemen in, hoping for a size advantage.
The Panthers lack experience at linebacker. Juniors Eli Dawson (6-0, 185) and Tyler McJunkins (5-11, 185) will start at outside linebacker while Tim Spiva starts in the middle.
With sophomores Jared McJunkins (5-10, 155), Alex Ordonez (5-9, 145) and Koller expected to start in the secondary, Carmikle noted that is the team’s biggest question mark.
“They’re all three very athletic,” he said. “They have great ball skills. There’s just a huge gap from playing on Thursday nights to playing on Friday nights.”
Ordonez is the team’s kicker. “With kickers, they’re either natural or you put a steel toe on their foot and just straightline kick it,” Carmikle said. “He’s got a natural leg swing, gets good height on the ball. He’s somebody that with a little bit of work can be a weapon.”
Ordonez and Wade are prospective punters. Look for Butler and Eli Dawson deep on kicks and punts.
“(Butler has) got a little bit of a different speed than everybody else on our roster and most of the people that we’ll play,” Carmikle said. “He’s got the chance to be real electric in the return game. Eli Dawson, he’s really sure-handed, somebody we can stick out there to fair-catch a punt.”
The 2A-5 Panthers have a tough schedule, though Carmikle is undaunted by upcoming opponents.
“In high school football, in 2A especially, you’ve got to be able to run the ball in order to win, and I think that’s something that we’ve put an added emphasis on this year,” he said. “Obviously England is just loaded with athletes, and Conway Christian is always going to have a quarterback that can put it anywhere on the field. Hector has had a lot of success that last few years. I think having a hungry group of seniors will help put us over the top.”