Fox Creek’s Lackey sees chance to take step forward
Predators defeat Dixie 41-24 in season opener
North Augusta – As Lemuel Lackey prepares for his fifth season as the football head coach at Fox Creek High School, he is feeling good about where his team stands.
“I’m like everybody else at the start o the year and you’re excited about the things you could accomplish,” said Lackey, whose Predators open their season with a 41-24 home victory agaisnt Dixie. “But really you’ve got a few more seasoned kids who know what you’re doing and what you want from them. Hopefully that consistency will be carried throughout the year.”
FCHS will have six starters back on offense rom last year’s 4-6 team. One of those starting spots is not the quarterback. Nate Owens and Brandon Wallace have been battling or the job, and it is one that will continue into the season.
“They’ve both worked extremely hard,” Lackey said. “One of them (Owens) is a young man who has been with me for three years and has done everything we’ve asked him to do. The other brings a different tangible. He just hasn’t been in a system. They’re two great competitors.”
When asked what the tangible is for Wallace, Lackey said, “He’s a super athlete and he can spin the ball.”
Bryson Crawford will be one of the starting running backs and like Wallace, he is a transfer. Jackson Couamin is the other starting running back. The wide receivers are Manny Abro and Riley Howell with Garrison Williams the tight end.
Four of Fox Creek’s returning starters are along the offensive line. The returnees are Tommie Tucker at left tackle, Braden Vasquez at right tackle, John Truesdell at left guard and Alec Beck at right guard.
The newcomer to the starting five is center Trenton Beck, the brother of Alec.
Lackey believes the offense has the opportunity to be much better than it was a year ago.
“I believe our skill kids are a little better,” he said. “I think they are better on the perimeter. We worked much harder over the summer to get some things done. We just need to tidy it up and we’ll make some plays fit together in the offense.”
. The Predators return five starters on defense. They will be using a 4-4 formation.
Only two starters on the offensive side will be part of the starting 11 on defense. One of them is Truesdell. He will be joined in the trenches by Pete Taylor, Braylem Mitchem and Kamal Grant.
The linebackers will be Gabriel Reyes, Noah Gailes and Jaden Smith. The defensive backs are Howell, Mikah Quiller and Keith Jones.
Jacob Spinks is the placekicker while Wallace is handling the punting.
