FAIRLEA, WV- It is a brand-new year and a fresh new season for the Greenbrier East Spartans football team, and with summer coming to a fast close, the first game at Point Pleasant will kick off before we know it.
In 2022, the Spartans finished 4-6, but ended the season winning two of their last four games, including a 39-0 shellacking of Lincoln County.
However, this season will look a lot different. There are plenty of new faces after the graduation and transfers of some familiar ones, so East and head coach Ray Lee will go back to the drawing board to construct a new plan and scheme for this roster to succeed.
Here is the preview of the 2023 Spartans offense:
With practice just recently underway, there are several positions still up for grabs over the next couple weeks.
Last year, the Spartans scored 25.0 points per game and did most of their damage on the ground with 1.937 rushing yards. Of that number, 1,255 came from all-state running back Ian Cline, and 447 came from Monquelle Davis. However, both of those players have moved on. Davis graduated and Cline transferred to Charlotte, NC to play for powerhouse Providence Day School.
Through the air, East passed for 1,118 yards on the season. Again, most of that number was from Davis and 404 yards came from Gavin Bennett, who is not on the roster this season. Brody Hamric will be behind center this year. The sophomore, although young, does at least have some good varsity experience. In the win over Lincoln Co., Hamric played the entire second half and went 5-of-9 for 55 yards and a rushing TD. He played confidently and won the player of the game honors that night, and has that momentum on his side coming into his first full year as a starter.
Grant Burdette, Carter Hamilton, Abram Wickline, Robert Bennett, Caleb Tolley, and Kaden Stone are the most experienced help that Hamric will get as all played varsity snaps last year. Replacing Lucas McCallister (graduated), Jake Pate (transfer) and C.W. Sturgell (transfer) is still a tall task, but through a committee of players, it can happen. Burdette (4 receptions, 36 yards in ’22) shined at Ferrum College camp in June and showed great hands in catching the football and is a returning starter. Tolley played in two games and although he had just one carry, it went for 16 yards. Stone only had one catch, but it went for 28 yards. The skill positions have breakout candidates, and they will get that chance from game one, forward.
Nate Suttle and Brayden Brown are two other youngsters that may see more extensive action this season.
Coach Lee’s comments on the skill position players:
“There will be some new faces at our skill positions this season. We lost some talent from 2023, but truly believe in the guys we have right now. We will be inexperienced at some spots, but the athleticism is there to make up for some of that inexperience. We hit the ground running during our June practice period with a lot of installation of our offensive schemes, and everyone embraced what we were trying to accomplish by working on the finer details each and every day. Our skill guys understand we are going to spread the ball around this season and all of them our going to get their opportunity to make an impact on Friday nights,” Lee said.
Upfront, the Spartans lost the steady Luke Carola, but they bring back three quality starters on the offensive line in Aiden Cole, Bo Bowyer, and Garon Wiseman. All three have plenty of experience and will anchor that unit, and Cole performed admirably at the Ferrum College camp. The final two starting spots will consist of some type of combination of James McCraw, Rhett Baker, Gage Blevins, Drew McCallister, Ashton Mentz, Zayir Lee, and Payton Ritter. All will be vying for valuable snaps as the season moves ahead, and developing depth will be key as well.
Coach Lee’s comments on the offensive line:
“Our offensive line is bringing some experience into 2023. All of the offensive linemen we have on our team are very dedicated to their craft and making themselves better each day. They did a great job during the offseason in the weight room preparing themselves for this season. They are all very coachable and dedicated to becoming a good unit. We look forward to watching their progression as the season goes on,” Lee said.
With the right coaching and the more experience gained by each player on offense, the better each one will get. It should be an exciting time for Spartan fans to watch the offense grow.
Up Next Week: WVDN will preview the defense and special teams.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.