Challenging schedule awaits Cougar squad hungry for 3rd shot at title

Jerry Hood is selling his Cougars as the underdog.

He’s done it a handful of times in the past few years, but it’s been pushed aside as coachspeak. When the likes of Hayden Moore, Terelle West, Ty Pigrome and T.J. Simmons were running rampant toward the end zones of Cougar Stadium, it was hard to believe him.

Those guys have all departed the program and graduated from an offense that has put up out-of-this-world numbers all decade. Now, just one name stands out that everyone knows: Nico Collins.

The senior wide receiver has given opposing coaches nightmares over the last three years, teaming up with Simmons to form one of the most dynamic receiving tandems in the nation. He’s the only starting skill player returning.

Collins will look to do the same in his final year, and knows what will happen if opposing defenses put too much emphasis on stopping just him.

“(There will be a) lot of teams keying on me, but (we’ve) also got people on the other side that can make plays. It’s kind of like either way you’re going to have to stop all of us because we’re all out there making plays,” he said.

Collins will certainly not be the only weapon at the Cougars’ disposal, however. New playmakers will make themselves known. There was a time when no one knew who Simmons was, and there was a time when no one knew who Collins was.

“We’ve been there before,” Hood said. “That’s why we have a program and those guys need to step up next.”

The Cougars are hungry to get back where they’ve been the last two years, in the Class 6A state championship game. They won in 2014 but fell to Spanish Fort last season in the final game. To get there again, they will have to navigate a Region 6 that has a new look to it.

Gone are Woodlawn, Huffman and Shades Valley, three of the bottom four finishers last season. Minor, Walker and Carver-Birmingham replace them. The region becomes undoubtedly tougher, but Hood did not lighten up on the non-region contests, scheduling Florence, Bessemer City, James Clemens and Park Crossing.

“I scheduled the hardest schedule I could find because I know that after nine, 10 weeks of the people we’re playing, we’re going to be battled-tested and ready for the playoffs,” he said.

The goal is to simply make the playoffs with the caliber of teams the Cougars will face.

“I mean, if we can sneak in the playoffs at that point, we’re a dangerous team,” he said.

At that point, the Cougars can play the underdog card.

Offense

Four players are listed as a quarterback on Clay-Chalkville’s roster, and one of them will replace Pigrome. That is obviously the biggest hurdle for developing the 2016 version of the Clay-Chalkville offense, but is not the only position that will have a different look.

Tony Gurley and Quintin Young are two players who will make their mark on the running back spot, and each has played major varsity minutes in the past, although neither has carried the load for the offense at any point.

At the wide receiver slot, Collins is confident that he has some fellow route runners that will turn some heads as the season begins. He mentioned Terrill Cole, Marquis Drakes and Roderick McCloud as athletes who will emerge.

“(The offense) is going to change up a little bit because it’s not going to have a T.J.,” Collins said. “T.J. was physical on the line and put his hand on the ground, all that. Now we don’t have one of those, so now maybe we can go with some five-receiver sets.”

The Cougars will look to Khylon Clayton, Eddie Rox and Xavier Wright. 

Defense

Hood is extremely high on the front line of the Clay-Chalkville defense.

“The D-line is big and the linebackers can all really run,” he said.

JaMarlin Sewell is the only returning starter in the secondary, and will likely be flanked by three younger starters on the back end.

“That’s the part where if they can figure all this out by the start of the playoffs, they’ll be seasoned veterans by then,” Hood said.

Special teams

Drennon Mayhew has improved great, according to Hooc, and has earned a chance to take over the kicking duties for the Cougars.