CARROLLTON, Ala. — John Gartman isn”t going to change the identity of the Pickens Academy football team because one player graduated.
But when that senior — quarterback Jacob Acker — is your best player, it could give a coach reason to pause and to consider another route for his team.
Instead of panicking, Gartman and the Pirates have re-dedicated themselves to conditioning and playing physical football. Being in shape will be critical for the Pirates, who will bring a roster of 23 players into their 2011 season opener against Southern Academy at 7 tonight.
“Tight end to tight end I think we”re pretty physical up front,” Gartman said.
In addition to losing Acker, the Pirates lost offensive linemen Herbie House and Brad Lowery. But that position features six of the seven seniors on this season”s team, which means senior tailback John Morgan Owens, junior fullback Garrett Estes, and sophomore quarterback Josh Lewis should have plenty of help when they run the ball.
Seniors Caleb Garner, Stewart Gray, Mark Johnson, Jonthan McDaniel, and Travis Noland figure to be fixtures on the offensive and defensive lines. Junior tight Chase Britt also will provie depth on the offensive line. The play of that unit should help the Pirates control the line of scrimmage in the second season in Gartman”s triple option attack.
“They”re all really smart guys, so they know the plays and what to do in certain situations,” Owens said. “I have confidence in them. I like that it is an older line and pretty much all seniors and juniors.”
Owens and Noland also have confidence in Lewis to take the place of Acker, who kept defenses with his ability to run and to throw.
“I think Josh can run the ball better than Jacob,” Owens said. “He is really smart when he runs the ball. We have a real threat there with the run and the pass.”
Gartman said the Pirates will try to throw the ball as much as they did last season. He anticipates using Lewis in multiple roles to take advantage of his athleticism.
Hunter Booth will anchor the Pirates” 5-2 defense.
“We might have a small senior class, but we have been conditioning a lot this summer,” Noland said. “We”re going to be a hustling team.
Pickens Academy went 6-5 and lost to Clarke Prep in the first round of the Alabama Independent Schools Association Class AA playoffs. Things won”t be any easier this season in Region I with defending state champion Edgewood Academy, Restoration Academy, Springwood, Evangel Christian Academy, and Lakeside. Edgewood, Restoration, and Springwood all had one loss last season.
Gartman said the Pirates played each team tough but came up short. He hopes his team will be able to stay healthy and capitalize on its conditioning to finish higher than fourth in the region.
“It”s going to be tough,” Gartman said. “We have a lot of tough games. All four regular-season games we lost last year we could have won. … It will be a challenge. I just hope we play well and maybe if some things go our way maybe we can surprise people. We will have to wait and see how that plays out.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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