After winning two games in three years, the Scott’s Branch Eagles are hungry for success. Second-year head coach Wayne Farmer is working to give it to them.
“Last year, we got in here late, and the kids had never won before,” Farmer said. “None of those kids had been on the state championship teams from 2008 and 2010. They’d had three coaches in three years.”
“It was a big transition, teaching them how to win,” Farmer added. “We made some big changes. This year we got in track, a little bit of weight room, off-season, and some summer work. We got to know each other better over the year, what we expect from each other, and what it will take to win.”
Farmer hopes to capitalize on this progress.
“We’re getting there. We’re still short on depth, so we’re working on that. I feel a whole lot better for this season than I did at this time last year.”
Although the team is young, Farmer is hoping to build on the experience from last year.
“We’re still young,” Farmer said. “Only five seniors last year and only five seniors this year. Pretty much my freshmen and sophomores played last year, so each year we’re gaining more experience.”
One of those young players that Farmer will be expecting to contribute is first-year player Christavis Johnson.
“He’s never played before,” he said. “And he’s going to be my quarterback.”
The 6-foot junior will bring some height and physicality to the position.
Also in the backfield will be Farmer’s committee of running backs that include Marquise Thomas, Marqus House and Kevin Johnson. Thomas is a sophomore, while House and Johnson are both juniors.
“All these guys are key factors in what we do,” said Farmer.
Key players lining up for the Eagles on either side of the ball include Desmond Brown, Jaquan Dingle, Shykeem Bozier and Malique Coard, in addition to House and Andre Brown. Desmond Brown, a senior, will be snapping the ball from center. Dingle, a junior, will line up at right guard alongside right tackle Shykeem Bozier, a senior. A junior, Coard, will line up at left guard alongside left tackle Melquan House.
Farmer will be looking for his offensive players to create production out of the Wing-T formation.
“Once you learn the Wing-T, and you perfect it, it becomes something beautiful,” he said. “We’re still working on our timing and cutting down our mental mistakes. We had a good year of track, so the speed has come to the football field now. We’ve got some speed now, so that should help.”
Defensively, the Eagles will be looking at Melquan House and Andre Brown to step up. Brown, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound middle and outside linebacker is powerhouse whose favorite part of football is hitting. House, a senior measuring up at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, will bring athletic ability and pure strength to the positions of defensive tackle and defensive end.
“They’ll be our leaders on defense,” said Farmer.
Farmer expects big things out of his athletes, but says that the key to their success will be in the details.
“Our biggest thing is not making mistakes and playing four quarters of quality football. That’s our biggest thing,” he said. “We can’t play in spurts. To win you have to be disciplined and you have to be consistent. The quality play comes through your character and how much you become a student of the game.”
The Eagles have three goals for the coming season.
“The first goal is to win the first game,” Farmer said. “That’s our immediate goal. Our short-term goal is to win region. Our long-term goal is to win a state championship. My realistic goal for us this year is to be a lot better than we were last year, have a lot more wins, and play every game to the best of our ability with 100 percent effort and very little mistakes. That will make me happy.”
The Eagles lost Friday night to Manning High School in Manning, bringing their record to 0-2 for the season.
