COLONELS LOOK TO REPLACE TOP LINEBACKERS

August 1, 2012
By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI

(Photo by Ginger Perry/The Winchester Star)
WINCHESTER — A trip over to a James Wood football practice might make you wonder, at first glance, where the rest of the team is.

But while having just 35 players would probably feel like a difficult obstacle to most, the Colonels feel too good about themselves to feel that way.

“We’ve got a small team, but I feel like with the people we have, we’ve got depth,” senior linebacker Brett Lewin said. “Everyone can play. I feel like everybody can get in the game. I don’t think [our roster numbers are] going to hurt us.”

James Wood returns just four starters on offense and two on defense from last year’s team, which went 4-7 and lost in the first round of the Region II Division 4 playoffs, but the Colonels aren’t swayed by that either. Colonels coach Mike Bolin truly believes this year’s team can be better.

That’s not to say that some of those guys won’t be missed. James Wood must replace all four starting linebackers from last year, including the middle linebacker tandem of Mark Bean (102 tackles) and Tanner Rutherford (101), the only teammates among the five area schools to finish with at least 100 tackles.

“In our defense, [middle linebacker is] probably the most critical position,” Bolin said. “They’re the ones that call the fronts, identify the fronts. They call the huddle. They make all of our defensive adjustments. We’ve got to find guys who are savvy at that.

“Mark was fortunate because he was a three-year starter. By his junior year, he knew what he was supposed to do. It takes about a year to learn what we do really well. ... [These players] are going to have to learn on the fly very quick and be vocal. One thing they’ve got to be able to do is communicate well on the field, and that’s one thing that Mark and Tanner both did so well. They were able to communicate with everybody.”

Lewin said they also set an excellent example that he hopes to emulate at middle linebacker.

“They were both great leaders, they both worked hard, and they pushed you,” Lewin said. “That’s what we’re going to try and do this year.”

Bolin said he’s liked what he’s seen so far from Lewin.

“Brett’s a hard worker,” Bolin said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do in the offseason. He’s probably our strongest kid. He’ll play a ton of fullback too.”

Senior Joey Eubank might have cracked the starting lineup had he not broken his leg in the team’s third game against Musselman. He’ll likely play a key role at outside linebacker, and other people Bolin will likely rely on are senior Matt Pridgen and junior Daniel Funkhouser.

As for other key positional battles, James Wood is looking at three players to replace Lewin’s older brother Jake at quarterback. Junior Cam Butler leads the way right now, but quick sophomore Brady Hepner is athletic and strong-armed sophomore Colin Benner both could challenge for the job.

James Wood also does not return anyone with more than eight carries (Lewin, a fullback) to its backfield. Players who might play tailback are senior Dallas Corbin, junior Sawyer Michelich, senior Brady Skillman, sophomore Landon Rutherford and junior Barrett Davis.

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.