Chargers navigate a lack of depth, lean on experienced players.
Strawberry Crest fell just short of a playoff appearance last season.
Head coach Phillip Prior wants to get to the postseason this year.
“Part of having some success is being able to develop some depth and when adversity hits, being able to adapt,” he said.
This year, his goal is to adapt to the team’s difficult schedule and lean on the experience of the returning players.
Strawberry Crest is bringing back its entire offensive line and its running backs to anchor the team.
“I think we’ve got three really good running backs that each have a unique skill set that we’re going to try to highlight,” Prior said.
One of those returning running backs is Zion Weems, who, as a true freshman last year, did most of the running for the Chargers.
Prior’s quarterback, Sevin Bagnato, also has experience taking game-day snaps, having led several games toward the end of last season.
And the defense is bringing back familiar faces, including several third-year varsity players. Several of Strawberry Crest’s defenders are over 200 pounds as well.
“This year, we’re going to be a little bit bigger up front, so I think that’s going to do really well for us,” Prior said.
He added he hopes this consistency and experience working with the same coaches and schemes will help push the team into the postseason.
Despite having invested time into his senior starters, Prior said he’s not worried about underclassmen not having the same experience.
“We prepare everybody the exact same way,” he said.
Underclassmen will be called to step up when there is an injury or another starter is out because the team does not have much depth.
He also has freshmen working out with the team to prepare if they are needed, like Weems was when they tapped him for the running back position last year.
“I think our program is in a good place to be competitive year in and year out just because of the consistency and the things that we do in our program year-round to prepare kids to be able to play as soon as their sophomore year,” Prior said.
He said the team has always dealt with a lack of depth by leaning on experienced players and understanding the strengths and weaknesses they have on the field.
Last year, despite navigating injuries, Prior said the Chargers surprised fans and other teams.
This year, he wants to maintain those expectations and impress people again.
“I think we have everybody’s attention, so I think that we’re going to get everybody’s best game,” he said. “We embrace that type of challenge.”
He said coaches’ preparation for the games every week passes on confidence to the players.
“I think our kids realize that ‘Hey, our coaches are going to put us in a good place for a chance to win [and] put a good game plan together,’” Prior said.
He said it’s been challenging to practice with the heat keeping them off the field during some practices. But, Prior adapts, turning to reviewing film and even doing walk-throughs of plays in school hallways, the gym, or the weight room.
In trying to build up the team’s depth, Hunter Hall and Jose Aponte are going to be three-way players, ready to play special teams, offense, and defense.
Prior also wants to create an environment for the team to grow as friends, whether those relationships are built during practice or paintball games outside of school.
“We had fun, and I think [when] you kind of take that pressure off the kids, I think it helps them perform better,” he said.
And Prior is also teaching athletes to focus on what they can control rather than what they can’t, like a teammate’s injury or their schedule.
“You can control your assignment, your job, your responsibility,” he said. “You can control your effort, your attitude, and applying what you are coached to do.”
He said he doesn’t want his players to end the season wishing they could have done more, but knowing they played their best.
That message, Prior said, is consistent from the moment a player joins the team, meaning, when they finally get that starter role, controlling what they can has already been ingrained in their play.
“If you start worrying about that other stuff, then you lose sight of the basics,” he said.
When the team does struggle, like they did during the end of last season when they only won one game in their final five, they fix the basics.
“It’s just teaching kids to learn from their mistakes,” Prior said.
He wants the players to bring that mindset they learn in practices and games into their personal and academic lives.
ROSTER
1 Jose Aponte 12 WR/DB
2 Hunter Hall 12 WR/DB
3 Brandon Tackett 12 WR
4 Zayveon Springfield 12 LB/RB
5 Adam Eskew 10 RB/DB
6 Zion Weems 10 RB
7 Sevin Bagnato 12 QB
8 Joe Borchard 11 DB
9 Josh Hernandez 12 LB
10 Rowdy Tucker 12 FB/TE
11 Steven Diaz 12 DL
12 Devin Simeral 11 WRL
13 Zijohn Stallworth 9 QB
14 Bradley Parker 10 QB/DB
15 Nolan Catlin 11 WR
16 Tre Feliciano 11 RB
17 Malachi Johnson 11 DL
18 Jabari Barefoot 11 DB
19 Cole Sharpless 11 DL
20 Levi Baxter 11 LB
21 Bama Spicer 11 LB
22 Brice Robinson 11 LB
23 Bryton Lawson 11 DB
24 Jasean McGee 11 DB
25 Grady Prior 10 DB
26 Aaron Parker 10 WR
27 Luis Lopez 11 DB
28 Brayden Echols 12 DB/K
29 Omari Brown 11 RB
32 Rashaad Addison 12 FB
40 Lyric Bagnato 10 LB
42 Peyton Creel 11 LB
44 Dillan Yeager 10 DL
50 Brayden Whitmore 10 DL
51 Dylan Mauck 11 OL
52 Donnie Staggs 10 DL
53 Jonah Rebman 10 OL
54 Jose Duenez 12 OL
55 Brady Heist 10 OL
56 Austin Grooms 11 LB
71 Ivan Briones 11 OL
72 Billy Vaughn 12 OL L
77 Cam Eckard 12 OL
79 Brodie Johnson 12 OL
80 Carter LeClair 10 WR
84 Jake Von Ancken 10 TE
88 Jacob Ogden 12 TE
Staff
Phillip Prior – Head Coach
