Manchester FB Preview

Inexperienced players need to mature quickly

Manchester coach Tom Hall, 8/27/07

by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond

There is so much green at Manchester you would think it was Clover Hill, or money was falling out of the sky.

No one was that lucky at football practice Monday, as Lancers coach Tom Hall is looking to a bunch of first-year starters to make an immediate impact.

“We’re pretty new everywhere,” said Hall, who is getting his team ready for a Thursday tilt against Thomas Dale. “We’re green. We’re very green. We need to stay healthy. We lost our two running backs last year. Of course that opened the door for Leonard.”

Leonard Smith, that is. He earned first-team All-Metro honors at safety, but it didn’t hurt that he stepped in the tailback spot and gained over 1,000 yards for the Lancers.

Smith, a sure-fire Division I prospect, is moving to cornerback this season but will still tote the pigskin on offense.

He’ll just receive the handoffs from a different quarterback than he or Hall expected.

Coach Tom Hall is looking for some of his less experienced players to step forward and prove they belong on the varsity level.

Incumbent QB Chris Hardee decided not to play football since he has a partial baseball scholarship offer to Old Dominion, according to Hall.

In steps JV signal caller Tyler Henderson, a junior who lost three games in the past two years on the Thursday-night level.

“He’s one of those kids where you had to get him on the field anyway,” Hall said. “He doesn’t have the arm Chris has but he’s athletic and has good speed and quickness.”

Henderson will try to find senior wide receiver Martin Elliott.

Only two linemen return. Sonny Arie was second-team all-Dominion District. Byron Tibbetts is also a good one at guard.

Twins Cameron and Ryan Jude will play tight end to help in the run game and run a pattern or two.

Look for Tony Brown to get some carries in the backfield as well.

But the most potent offensive weapon for Hall may be Brandon Claud.

The senior kicker booted a 53-yarder at practice. He may be the defense’s best friend as he’ll also be booming punts.

Leonard Smith is garnering much interest, including looks from top Division I Subdivision schools.

“He went to the Ray Guy camp,” said Hall, “and was ranked 17th in the country.”

Manchester’s defense has the chance to be special.

It’s anchored by the Jude twins at defensive end. Both are seniors.

They sandwich huge defensive tackle Jonathan Durrett, a 6-4, 300-pound junior.

Smith leads a talented secondary from the corner.

Look out for the super-athletic Elliott at free safety.

The linebackers are paced by Brown in the middle and Brandon Merriman at outside. Merriman is the cousin of San Diego star LB Shawn Merriman.

Hall certainly hopes his team can play with the same passion the Chargers star does.

Brandon Claud wonders, “How do I kick the ball so far?”

“I think our whole success depends on our maturity as a whole,” Hall said. “How quickly our young kids can mature. I just want to see the young guys grow up as quickly as possible.”

2006 record: 5-2 Dominion, 5-5

Key players: Leonard Smith, CB/RB, Sr.; Cameron and Ryan Jude,
DE/TE, Srs.; Sonny Arie, OL, Sr.; Brandon Claud, K, Sr.; Byron
Tibbetts, OG, Sr.; Tony Brown, MLB/RB, Jr.; Jonathan Durrett, DT, Jr.

Top newcomers: Eric Wells, CB, Jr.; Brandon Merriman, OLB, Jr.; Tyler Henderson, QB, Jr.

Key losses: Khalil Latif, OL (Va. Tech); Chris Hardee, QB (ODU baseball scholarship)

Schedule:
Aug. 30 – at Thomas Dale, 7:30
Sept. 14 – Huguenot, 7:30
Sept. 21 – at L.C. Bird, 7:30
Sept. 28 – Clover Hill, 7:30
Oct. 5 – at Cosby, 7:30
Oct. 12 – Lee-Davis, 7:30
Oct. 19 – George Wythe, 7:30
Oct. 26 – James River, 7:30
Nov. 2 – at Midlothian, 7:30
Nov. 9 – at Monacan, 7:30

Key game: The first three. Manchester once again has a brutal opening and went 0-3 in their first three games. It’d be good to get a good win or two early to help the new players’ confidence.