Trying to get over .500. The LaRue County Hawks looked a little like the team which former coach Rodney Armes finished up with in 2011 meaning devastating on the ground and consistent on defense. Still, with the personal available it seemed like a good fit. With players like Caleb Canter and Matthew Hornback, the Hawks did win a playoff game going away. Without them, this year’s version will look even more different in the backfield and under center, but if Jaggers offensive philosophy is successful running the ball again everything else will continue to open up.
Run to Daylight! With Canter and Hornback gone, the Hawks will look elsewhere for replacements in the backfield. Seniors Austin McDonald (39-220 yds. and 1td) and Dalton Lawson (16-120 yds.) will be first options. As will be sophomore Marcus Franklin (5-99 yds. and 1 td) and Demarcus McCray. Other players which might star at the position will be seniors Justin Davis and Keagan Kirkpatrick. Jaggers tried several options under center depending on the situation, but with Gabe Shirley gone junior Koy Lindsey will get a chance at the position. Jagger’s air game will be targeted towards Dalton Lawson, Austin McDowell and senior Michael Neal (5 – 114 yds.). The Offensive line will return seniors’ Austin Goldsmith, Zeke Phelps and Matt Stiles. Kicker Curtis Milby should return for field goals and point afters.
The Defense just keeps coming! The Hawks defense did allow 238 points in twelve games, but only once did they allow over twenty in their last five games. Jaggers will have his hands full plugging holes as they graduated a large chunk of its defense. Senior Micheal Franklin will return at nose guard. The linebacker corps look strong with senior Austin Goldsmith and sophomore Marcus Franklin. The secondary seniors Austin McDowell and Dalton Lawson. Curtis Milby will do the punting. If the defense can keep games close then the running game can put them away.
Swing game: In a 6-6 season, there can be plenty of potential swing games, but one that comes to mind might be their first home game of the 2012 season against Spencer County. After suffering a 28-point loss to Shelby County the week before, the Hawks needed a win badly and despite the fact that the offense gained a scant 87 yards and the defense leaked 227 yards on the ground, Jaggers team squeezed out a too-close-for-comfort 14-12 win. Still, the game wasn’t decided until a potential game winning field goal by the Bear’s sliced wide with 30-seconds remaining. The win put LaRue County at 2-1. It would be the last time they would be above .500 until a 36-16 playoff win over Corbin.
A favorable schedule. An above .500 finish might be accomplished in 2013 for the Hawks. They’ll have to weather a long road swing to do it first. LaRue County opens up the season with they’re first four games on the road going to Washington County (2-9) and Hart County (4-7) in the month of August, then a swing through Spencer County (7-4) and arch-rival Green County (6-5) in September before coming home for three straight against Taylor County (6-4), then Russell County (11-1) and Henry County (3-8) in October before going just down the road to Elizabethtown (1-10) then back home to finish out with powerful Central (13-2) and Campbellsville (4-7). The Hawks will face five teams with above .500 records including two with double digit wins.
Coach Speak with Josh Jaggers: We are going to be as young as we have been in my six years. Due to having a very low number of upperclassman we have ten total juniors and seniors, many of our sophomores and freshman will be seeing a lot of playing time. Out of the 22-positions on the field, we could very likely be starting upwards of ten to twelve freshman and sophomores. Even though we have very few juniors and seniors, they are extremely good leaders though. We expect big things from Dalton Lawson, Michael Neal, Michael Franklin and Zeke Phelps. Even though we will be extremely youthful this year, I feel as though we will have more depth.
Inside the Number’s 3-1. Which is the record that LaRue County had in the month of October when they made their move for the playoff drive and outscored the opposition 132-44.
