Fuquay fans can look around several websites and publications and see their team picked to win the Tri-9 conference and be one of the best teams in the area in 2009. But Fuquay coach, Ryan Habich looks at his depth chart and sees 14 holes that he has to fill. The large senior class that graduated in the spring helped the Bengals to 11 wins and a perfect 7-0 conference record last fall.
“We’ve got some key players coming back, but we lost a lot, especially up front and some key positions on defense,” Habich said. “It’s still a learning experience for us right now with some of those guys. We’ve got a lot of guys fighting for positions and fighting for playing time right now. We’re probably not where we need to be, but we’re going to get there.”
Habich said who and how those 14 slots are filled will determine how successful the Bengals will be in 2009. But first off, who is returning from last year’s conference champs?
Cory Hunter (6-feet, 190 pounds) rushed for 1,888 yards as a sophomore and scored 23 touchdowns out of Fuquay’s Wing-T offense. Hunter was named the Tri-8 Player of the Year in 2008.
Also only a junior, Shaun Underwood (6-foot-3, 295 pounds) played on the offensive and defensive lines for Fuquay as a 10th-grader last fall and was named to the all-conference first team. Habich said he would prefer to platoon his linemen, but Underwood is such a force he hopes the athletic big man can play some offensive guard in addition to anchoring the defensive line.
Linebacker, Isaac Minor (5-foot-7, 155 pounds) was one of the top tacklers in the state and led the Tri-8 with over 150 tackles last year as a junior. A first-team all-Tri-8 selection last fall, he’ll anchor the linebacking corps as a senior.
Senior, Nate Budde (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) backed up quarterback, Kyle Canfield a year ago and played defensive back for Fuquay becoming an all-conference honorable mention. This year, Budde will trigger the offense as the starting quarterback. His speed and quickness will make him an additional rushing threat for opponents to worry about.
With those answers in place, Habich said the remaining question marks are line play, outside linebacking and finding the right combination of wing backs.
“Teams are going to key on Cory,” he explained. “There’s going to be nine people in the box concentrating on the fullback and if our wings and our quarterback can’t make plays we’re going to be in trouble this year.”
Habich said senior, Jahel Carter, juniors Malcom Thaxton and Eric Powell along with Minor would all see time at the wing back spots. He added that this group would also be playing defense. So a key will be finding a good balance to keep everyone fresh.
Last season, seniors Corey Mixon and Christian Neikens made the routine plays and they made some huge plays as outside linebackers. Habich said he needs some players to step up and fill the void left by their graduations. The same thing is true along the offensive and defensive lines. John Matt and Joe Figueroa are graduated, and their sizable spots have to be filled.
Habich said there’s a lot of healthy competition in practice, and he wants to provide opportunities during the non-conference schedule to see who can carry the load once an expanded conference slate begins on September 11 at Cary High.
The Tri-8 conference is now the Tri-9 with the addition of Holly Springs High, which moves in from the Greater Neuse River. Looking around the conference, Habich said there are no nights off this fall. “I’ve told the kids, week in and week out it’s going to be a battle,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anyone on our schedule that we can overlook. If we don’t play well against any of those teams, we’ve got a good chance of losing.”
But before Fuquay can take on the Tri-9, the Bengals have a challenging non-conference schedule to contend with. After hosting Knightdale this Friday, Fuquay travels to Clayton next week. Then, the Bengals return home to welcome West Johnston on September 4.
“This is probably the hardest schedule we’ve had since I’ve been here at Fuquay for five years,” Habich said. “With our non-conference games, we’re playing probably two of the fastest teams in the area in Knightdale and West Johnston.”
Like most coaches, Habich can sound like a glass-half-empty kind of guy sometimes. But while there’s plenty that the 2008 Tri-8 Coach of the Year worries about, there’s plenty he’s excited about, too. There were over 100 players who came out for the junior varsity and varsity teams this fall. The coaching staff of Dale Lowe, Jeb Hall, Tim Pauluzzi, Neal Eichhorn and Terrance McCotter is top-notch and all return this fall. The Fuquay-Varina community loves its football team and turns out at home and on the road as well as any group of supporters. And the Fuquay-Varina players like to win, and they know how.
“I think the kids have a good attitude,” Habich said. “I think we’re further along this year than we were last year, which is a good thing. There’s a lot of room for improvement, but we’re definitely further along than we were last year.”
Post a Comment
