West Morgan Football

Article About Tanner

Tanner using good mix of size and speed to bolster its offense
By Justin Gravesjustin@athensnews-courier.comTANNER – The personnel lining up in Tanner’s backfield may be different this year, but Rattlers coach LaRon White expects the results to be the same.Last year, Tanner featured three of the best running backs in the area, but all three were lost to graduation. White believes their replacements are capable of filling the void.“We are expecting junior running back Jacquez Peoples and a few others to step up and fill that spot,” White said. “Last year, we were fortunate to have three outstanding seniors at running back. We expect who ever takes over that position to give us the same type of effort.”One thing helping White bring his youngsters along is this year’s group of seniors. “We have good players graduate from here every year,” senior receiver Rod Byrd said. “Even though the names change, the expectations are always the same.Green swarmWhite expects Tanner to perform on the offensive side of the ball, but from what he has seen so far, the Rattlers’ defense is its strongest point. He expects this year’s defensive unit to set the tone early with a physical mentality Tanner will need to survive in what might be the strongest 2A region in the state.“With the realignment, an already tough region 8 has gotten tougher,” White said. “That means our defense will have to be strong. Our defense has a chance to be really good.”Even though Tanner lost its entire secondary and a couple of linebackers, White believes the guys on defense will be tough. “Our defense looked really good this spring,” White said. “The main thing is that our guys move and flow to the ball. If they do that, then we’ll be fine. We have some very hard-nosed football players on our defense that are going to play physical and make plays.”White said he is looking to George Adams, Peoples and Keith Shoulders to step up and be leaders on Tanner’s defense. Quick strike RattlersTanner’s offensive philosophy always revolves around its speed, but this year there is a slight twist.“We have more size on our offensive front than we normally have,” White said. “That allows us to line up in different formations and do a few different things.”The centerpiece of the Rattlers’ offense this year will be senior quarterback Demarcus King. With a year of experience running the spread offense, White expects King to be the leader and playmaker the Rattlers’ need to be successful.“I’m a lot more comfortable lining up in the spread this year,” King said. “Toward the end of last season I started making better decisions and we had a lot of success.”White believes Tanner’s strongest aspect on offense is its receivers – led by Byrd and Shoulders. King and Byrd have been a successful combination in every sport they’ve played at Tanner, and at the same time built a strong friendship. King said this closeness makes them even more of a threat.“I can tell what Rod (Byrd) is thinking without him telling me,” King said. “Being that close with your receivers makes things easier as quarterback. We are always on the same page and that’s going to make us better.”Tanner prideWhite said Tanner’s primary goal for this year is the same as it is every year –win the region and go deep in the playoffs. He said that’s what the players expect and they work hard all year to ensure it happens.“That’s what makes playing football at Tanner great,” Byrd said. “Here it’s about pride and tradition. We always have high expectations, but that’s the kind of program you want to be a part of.”White was pleased with his players work ethic over the summer and likes what he has seen in practice so far.“You don’t have to make our guys work hard,” White said. “They expect a lot out of themselves and they want to be successful. We are in a very tough region, but I think with the type of players we have our goals can be accomplished.”

posted by Coach Shaw @ 12:48 PM