Magnet Cove’s Stone solid at running back
Landon Stone wants to play his senior season at Magnet Cove.
The running back is one of many seniors across the state hoping the 2020 high school football season will be played, even with coronavirus-related guidelines that teams must follow.
“We want to play ball and we want to win,” Stone said.
Stone was one of the top running backs in the state last season, rushing for 2,757 yards with 30 touchdowns on 266 carries as Magnet Cove went 11-2 and won the 2A-5 Conference championship.
Magnet Cove Coach Caleb Carmikle realized in his first season at the school in 2017 that Stone wasn’t the typical football player he expected to see.
As a ninth-grader, Stone scored 30 touchdowns for Magnet Cove’s junior high school team, which Carmikle said went 5-3.
“You could just tell that he’s different,” Carmikle said.
Last season, Stone had 11 100yard games and averaged 212.1 yards per game. He posted three 300-yard games, including a 339yard, 4 touchdown performance in Week 10 against Conway Christian.
Carmikle said Stone’s production is an asset for the Panthers, who run a triple-option offense.
“It makes you difficult to prepare for,” Carmikle said.
Stone scored a career-high five touchdowns in Week Three against Mount Ida.
The back credited not only his offensive line, but his backfield as well.
“My fullback was great,” Stone said. “Even my quarterback was opening up some holes.”
It’s been an unusual fall camp and offseason for the Panthers because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, Stone said he is adjusting the best he can.
“It’s been a little different,” Stone said. “But we’re all on the same page.”
Stone has not received an offer to play college football. But he has been shown interest on the NCAA Division II level by Ouachita Baptist University, the defending Great American Conference champion.
Carmikle said he doesn’t believe how Stone hasn’t been able to attract the attention of colleges.
“It’s a shame that he doesn’t have an offer,” Carmikle said. “A good senior year will get him an offer. We have to play.”
Stone was on Magnet Cove’s baseball team this past spring when their season was called off because of covid-19. Even though he was a junior, Stone was sympathetic toward his older teammates.
“I’m glad I wasn’t a senior,” Stone said. “I felt so bad for them.”
Magnet Cove is expected to be one of the top teams in Class 2A in 2020. Stone said last season’s quarterfinal loss to Gurdon — now in the 2A-5 with Magnet Cove — has been a motivational factor for the Panthers throughout the offseason.
“We’re more hungrier,” Stone said. “We want to make it past the third round this year.”
The Panthers’ season opener is scheduled for Aug. 28 against Murfreesboro.