Beavers try to move on from standout seniors

GLEN ROSE — With 22 wins over the last two seasons, including a Class 3A semifinal berth last year, Glen Rose has re-positioned itself as a championship contender after a 2-8 run in 2014.

The next step for the Beavers is reclaiming the 3A-5 conference title from three-time reigning champion Prescott. Replacing 14 graduates, including multiple starters on defense, is no small task, but a program as proud as Glen Rose won’t be backing down from the challenge.

“We’ve got a lot to replace, and there’s no way you can replace experience until you put them out there when the lights are on,” coach Mark Kehner said. “We’re going to struggle early, but hopefully we can find a way to scrape out some wins and get better as the year goes on. Our players expect to win no matter who’s in uniform, and hopefully we can put ourselves in a position to do that.”

Sophomore quarterback J.T. Towers was set to take over for the departed Aaron Weatherford under center before suffering an injury in a car accident this offseason. Towers, who led the junior Beavers to a 9-0 record last year, is expected to be out until at least midseason.

“When you lose a player the caliber of J.T. and what he was going to bring to the table for us, you’re not going to just put somebody else in and expect them to do the same things,” said Kehner.

Jarred Rodgers slides from receiver to quarterback until Towers returns. The senior hauled in 30 passes for 448 yards and one touchdown last season but will be taking snaps under center for the first time.

“He’s a great athlete and a great kid; he’s been in this program his whole life and he understands the expectations of this program and this team,” Kehner said. “He’s had a great summer, but he’s also never played the position in a game. We’re not going to have a clue what to expect out of him until we get a couple of games under our belt. We’ve got all the confidence that Jarred can carry this thing until maybe we get J.T. back mid to late season.”

Rodgers’ transition will be eased by the presence of junior Jayshawn Cox and senior Ryan Taylor in the backfield. Cox rushed for 702 yards and four touchdowns last season while Taylor chipped in with 207 yards on just 26 carries.

“We’ve always traditionally run the football, and then we throw off that,” said Kehner. “We’ve got two capable backs with both of them bringing back a lot of game experience. They can do a lot of things with the ball in their hands. If you’ve got one good one, you’re pretty fired up about it, but we feel like we’ve got two.”

With Rodgers shifting to quarterback, seniors Adam Day and Zane Hardage headline the receiving corps. Day had 27 catches for

481 yards and three touchdowns while Hardage hauled in five scores last season.

“That’s two guys that are seniors that will just move up and take the next step,” Kehner said. “Both of them are very good receivers and capable of doing a lot of things on the field for us. We’re excited about our receiving corps, and it should excite Jarred as a receiver coming over.”

Junior Corbin Hughes will also compete for catches at tight end after scoring two touchdowns last season.

Senior Hunter Church (6-3, 280) at left tackle is the team’s lone returning starter on the offensive line, flanked by senior Carson Fite

(6-2, 200) at right tackle.

Seniors Alex (5-10, 200) and Drew Davis (5-10, 220) rotate at guard while juniors Jacob Lackey (6-0, 230) and Nicholas Pritchard (6-0,

250) compete up front with sophomore Trey McKim (5-9, 190). “We’re replacing four out of five starters up front so it’s going to take a little bit of time to come together as a unit,” said Kehner. “They’ve done a good job up to this point in the summer, but practice and games are two different monsters. We won’t really know where we stand with these guys until we start playing some ballgames.”

Replacing nine starters, Kehner described the defense as a work in progress. The Beavers boasted a stout unit last season, surrendering just 17 points per game.

“We haven’t had a good summer at all defensively,” Kehner said. “We’ve got a long way to go and we hope we can get that corrected soon, but right now we’ve got a lot of guys that need to get a lot better on the defensive side of the ball.”

Fite, Lackey and Pritchard rotate at defensive tackle with senior John Wright. Senior Doyle Burks moves from outside linebacker to defensive end, flanked by junior Jeremy Beasley and senior Bryce Hill.

“Everybody understands that the game is won and lost up front,” said Kehner. “When you’re replacing the entire box unit of guys on defense, that’s going to take us a little while to get to the point where we feel like we’re playing defense the way we normally do. We’re working and we’re grinding at it.”

Junior Caleb Barr takes over for the departed Jacob Lowry at middle linebacker after recording 24 tackles, three tackles for loss and three interceptions in a limited role.

“We’re looking for that guy that can direct everybody, and hopefully Caleb is it; he got some snaps last year behind Lowry at middle linebacker,” Kehner said. “Somebody has to be the quarterback on that side of the ball, and it takes somebody with experience and a confidence level enough to direct young men.”

Taylor will also see time at linebacker with juniors Dalen Baldwin and Jonathon Wheatley. Cox and sophomore Gavin Chaney provide depth.

Day and Rogers return at cornerback after breakout junior seasons. Rogers finished with 42 tackles and a team-high six interceptions while Day came away with three picks.

Seniors Noah Ellis and Cole Hutchenson project as starters at safety with sophomore Matthew Clark and senior Alex Prince providing depth in the secondary.

Kehner has been preaching the importance of forcing turnovers after the Beavers recorded 29 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries last season.

“If you have an opportunity to get a turnover and you don’t come

up with it, it’s amazing how that momentum swings,” said Kehner. “We learned last year that if you just take it away from them and punch it in, you’re putting more and more pressure on them. We feel like we’ve got some guys with athleticism so we just need to get the football as many times as we can.”

While a repeat of last season’s run will be hard to duplicate, Kehner knows that a brutal conference schedule will prepare his team for any postseason matchup.

Conference 3A-5 produced last year’s state champion in Prescott, a semifinalist in Glen Rose, a quarterfinalist in Centerpoint and a Haskell Harmony Grove team that won a playoff game.

“This conference has exceptionally well-coached teams and they’re playing great football,” he said. “Every one of us knows that by the time you go through this conference, you’ve seen every offense, athletic teams, wellcoached teams and well-disciplined teams. This season is going to be the same thing. Prescott’s on the top so somebody has to step up and try to challenge them. We’re trying to go to work every day to see if we can at least be on the field with them.”