Lawton High School can build its offense around Miles Davis, shown here trying to pull out of a tackle attempt during the annual battle with Eisenhower last fall. Davis rushed for 2,383 yards and 32 touchdowns last season, and he’s also going to be a key member of the defensive unit.
When a high school football team loses several key starters — one of them an all-stater — it might be easy to assume the following year will involve rebuilding.
However, with several lettermen returning, veteran Lawton High coach Randy Breeze is looking to reload rather than rebuild. The Wolverines finished 9-3 last season, earning a top-four ranking in the final Class 6A-II AP poll.
LHS made the playoffs for the fifth-straight season, advancing to the semifinals before suffering a painful 50-12 loss to eventual state champion Booker T. Washington.
“We have never had a rebuilding period, ever,” Breeze said. “In the past 12 years, we’ve lost to the state champion nine times in the playoffs. If there’s anything we have proven, it’s the state championship comes through Lawton, Okla., if you’re going to win it all in 6A-II.”
Reaching that point again in 2018 will be no easy task, though.
The Wolverines lost their starting quarterback (Alihas Hopper) and tight end (Nate Eggleton) and the team’s two leading receivers (Jayquan Lincoln and Dominick Neal), so the newcomers will have to learn quickly.
Hopper threw for 2,012 yards last season on 146-of-253 passing, and about 62 percent of those passes and 80 percent of the yards went to Lincoln and Neal, who combined for 15 touchdowns receiving. Add in Eggleton’s 10 catches for 48 yards and three touchdowns, and there is no denying LHS has some major holes to fill in the play-making department.
Breeze doesn’t seem too worried about that after spring practices, though.
“It’s amazing to me how much kids mature mentally and physically from December to May,” Breeze said. “They get in the weight room and really get after it. Positions where we thought we might be a little bit thin, there’s sophomores or juniors that have come a long way, and we’re not thin at those positions all of a sudden. We’re going to be fine no matter what. Those young kids stepped up and filled a lot of holes.”
AJ Adams, a move-in from Georgia, is expected to fill the void left by Lincoln and Neal on both sides of the ball.
“He has good speed and hands,” Breeze said. “When he came in, we asked him if he started last year, and he said was the backup corner the whole year, but the kid starting in front of him signed with Alabama. So that’s not a negative thing, and he’s just going to be a junior.”
Eddie Austin, who caught 12 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns in 2017, also figures to be threat at receiver. Austin will also see playtime at cornerback.
As for who will be Hopper’s successor under center, Breeze wants an intelligent signal caller, and heading into the summer months, it appears he has several options to choose from.
Senior Kyler Jenderseck, junior Eric Wiley Jr. and sophomore Donovan Dorsey are all vying for the starting role.
“All three are throwing the ball really well, and all three are in line to be valedictorians in their class,” Breeze said. “They’re very intelligent kids.”
Jenderseck was the main backup last season, completing 7 of 9 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Wiley, on the other hand, threw only one pass before suffering a broken collarbone during the Wolverines’ 50-20 win over MacArthur on Sept. 8.
Although having no varsity experience makes Dorsey an underdog, Breeze said he can spin the ball well and will be a candidate for the position despite being only 5-8 and 150 pounds.
“We’re in quality shape at the quarterback spot, no matter which one comes up and takes that spot,” Breeze said. “Jenderseck and Wiley are head-to-head on this deal because they both look real good. We put a lot of mental decisions on our quarterback at the line of scrimmage, and in 10 practices, both of them did an exceptional job.”
One major role Breeze and the coaching staff won’t have to worry about is the running back.
Miles Davis had quite the coming-out party last season, breaking tackles with relative ease on his way to 2,383 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns on 304 carries, averaging 7.8 yards per carry and 198.6 yards per game. The incoming senior also tallied 171 yards receiving and a touchdown on 22 receptions.
Breeze has no qualms giving his thoughts on Davis’ abilities.
“We feel like Miles Davis is the best running back in the state of Oklahoma,” Breeze said. “We also feel like we can go to an empty set, put him at the slot and we’ll have the best slot receiver in the state. And without a doubt, he’s the best cornerback around. He’s one of the few athletes who’s being recruited as a Division I football player at three different spots.”
However, Breeze said he knows he can’t overuse Davis. Davis averaged about 25 carries per game last season, and Breeze looks to insert senior Quen Bryant in the backfield on occasion to give the dynamic speedster a break.
Bryant carried the ball 44 times in 2017 for 292 yards and three scores, and he will also see action on defense at one of the linebacker spots.
“We can’t give Miles the football 40 times like we did one game,” Breeze said. “(Bryant) is a very good running back, and he’d probably start for more than half of the teams we play.”
Blocking for Davis and Bryant will be a seasoned offensive line, which returns nearly all starters from last season. New faces include sophomore Romio Blanton at center and senior Xavier Johnson at tackle.
Milton Knight and Dion Ferraro are notable returnees.
“Our offensive line has a chance to be better than it was last year,” Breeze said. “In old football terms, if you have two good tackles and a good running back, you’re always good because you can run the football, and that’s what we’re hanging our hat on. We’re going to be a good football team mainly because we can run the football and spread people out.”
The defense took a hit as well, losing five of its top seven tacklers — including the leader in sacks — Jaylik Gibson — and Keaton Hoskins, who led the squad in interceptions with four.
Despite those losses, LHS should maintain its strength defensively with the likes of Sam Harris (108 tackles, 2 sacks), Chris Ross (60 tackles, 2 sacks), Kejuan Neal (41 tackles, 4 interceptions), Demarcus Andrews (53 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions) and Calvin Shannon (41 tackles, 6 sacks, 2 interceptions) tormenting opposing offenses.
Hector Beccera is another player Breeze is excited about. The senior will make the transition from offensive tackle to its defensive counterpart to assist a younger line.
Breeze said Beccera will retain his offensive duties in addition to the switch.
“He’s a 6-foot-2 lineman, and he’s got four or five Division I offers already,” Breeze said. “We’re going to move him to the defensive line, and he’s going to play both sides of the ball. We had a Big 12 coach in here recently who didn’t know whether to recruit Hector as a defensive tackle or an offensive tackle. He’s going to bolster up our defensive line a great deal.”
Aaron Johnson, a junior who logged a vertical jump of higher than 30 inches, will use his improved speed and increased strength to assist on the defensive line as well.
Senior Colin Hopper and sophomores Jeremiah Magee and James Clark will join Bryant in the linebacker rotations.