Kingstree’s Cantrell looking for cleaner performances
Blazers are 2-2 in Region 7-AA heading into game agasint East Clarendon
Kingstree – As a first-time head coach, Brandon Cantrell is happy with the way his Kingstree High School football team is developing. The Blazers are off to a 3-5 start and are 2-2 in Region 7-AA.
That being said, Cantrell believes Kingstree could be even better with the proper tweaks.
“I’m happy with the progress we]re making through the season in regards to winning.” Cantrell said prior to a 38-16 loss to Manning. "There are a lot of things to clean up as far as mental mistakes, penalties. We’re doing a lot of things that lead to us shooting ourselves in the foot.”
After opening the season with a 24-23 victory over Georgetown, the Blazers suffered three consecutive losses. They fell to undefeated Carvers Bay 21-12, 30-6 to AAAA Crestwood and 29-14 to Timberland.
Kingstree rebounded though by winning its first two region contests. It went on the road to top Marion 22-7 and followed it with a 22-18 home victory over Lake City.
“I don't want to take away from the fact that we won our last two games, but I want us to play to the best of our ability,” Cantrell said. “Also, I think the biggest thing is making them realize how good they are. That comes from the years of not being great, and that’s the frustrating part.
“For us to be at the top of the region we’ve got to make sure we’re playing at our best every week.”
Senior Tyleek Dukes is the Blazers’ unequivocal leader. He is a standout on both sides of the football, at safety on defense and at running back offensively. He has been selected to play in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl all-star football game.
Against Georgetown, Dukes returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown and had 10 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown and three receptions for 36 yards.
“Tyleek has bought into the team concept we have been trying to instill in the team,” Cantrell said. “And he has done everything I have asked of him as far as being a great team player and buying into the expectations we are trying to establish at Kingstree High School.”
Dukes, who rushed for 1,798 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior, had his best offensive game against Lake City. He rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.
Cantrell said the offensive line is starting to come together. There were just two returning starters coming into the season in senior center Ethan Carraway and right guard Adeigeon Archie. The other starters are sophomore Maurice Burgess at left tackle, sophomore left guard Lazarus Moyd and senior right tackle DeMario McCormick-Major.
“It was good to get Tyleek on track,” Cantrell said. “He’s more than capable of running like he did last year.”
The defensive unit is what has pleased Cantrell the most.
“I think our defense has played fantastic,” he said. “Every game it has played well enough for us to win. The defense has quite a bit of experience with several seniors who have played the last three years.”
Along with Tyleek Dukes, other leaders on defense are junior defensive back Maleek Dukes, senior defensive back BJ Washington and junior linebacker Mark Pickard-Williams.
