Offensve line making Dorchester go in 6-0 start
Running back John Whetsell already over 1,000 rushing yards
St. George – These were the words of Dorchester Academy football head coach Michael Nelson just prior to the start of the season: “If you’d asked me in early July or late June how we’re going to be I would have said, ‘If we can block we’ll be good, if we can’t block we’ll be pretty bad.’ “
Fortunately for the Raiders, the line has been very good. That has helped DA to a 6-0 overall start and a 2-0 record in SCISA Region 1-Class A.
“I'm not surprised,” Nelson said. “We’re not as good or as big as we were last year, but we’re getting better each and every week. The line is growing, maturing, getting better week by week. This group has kind of picked up where we left off last year. I knew if we could block we’d be good. They’ve done a great job.”
The line is made up of sophomore right tackle Jae Carn, sophomore left tackle Clayton Zeigler, junior left guard Will
Quattlebaum and freshman right guard Matthew Byron with junior Jack Whetsell and senior Kaden Turbeville splitting tie at center.
The line has done a good job opening holes, and senior John Whetsell has done a good job running through them. Whetsell has rushed for 1,142 yards and 15 touchdowns on 134 carries. Whetsell ran for 1,752 yards and 15 scores last season.
Senior John Quattlebaum is back at quarterback. He has completed 49 of 69 passes for 817 yards and 12 touchdowns and has yet to throw an interception.
“I think we can throw the ball better than last year,” Nelson said. “We’re able to throw the ball if we need to. We haven’t had to throw it per se, but we're more offensively than just running the ball. Youve got to be able to balance the dynamic. We have some guys who can catch the ball and run with it.”
Senior tight end Abe Shuler has 20 catches for 344 yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Noah Risher has 15 catches for 264 yards and five scores, sophomore Warren Judy has five catches for 64 yards and two TDs, senior Landon Holly has five catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, and sophomore Graham Varnadoe has four catches for 55 yards and a score.
Dorchester has allowed just 71 points defensively.
The Raiders have a pair of non-region contests to play before playing host to undefeated Williamsburg Academy on October 31. That game will be for the region title.
