Cougars still have room to grow in 2020
Editor's Note: As of press time, the high school football season was still set to begin Aug. 21. It is unclear at this time whether the season will be altered due to the impact of COVID-19.
Drew Gilmer’s first three years as the head coach of the Clay-Chalkville High School football program have been nothing short of remarkable.
In that time, the Cougars have averaged 11 wins a season, made two Class 6A semi-final appearances and a quarterfinal showing last fall. In 2019, after dropping their first two region games to Pinson Valley and Gardendale, the Cougars ripped off seven straight wins before falling to eventual state champ Oxford in the third round.
But there’s still more to achieve for Clay-Chalkville, which is seeking its first trip to the state championship game since back-to-back appearances in the title game 2014-15.
“There’s always another little step for you to take,” Gilmer said. “For us, it’s can we improve our process and advance our program? Then the result will take care of itself, but there’s always a thing that we can do better this year than we did last year.”
OFFENSE
With former offensive coordinator Shawn Sutton departing, Clay-Chalkville will look to Joey Bennett and Nick Malantis to steer the ship of the Cougars’ attack.
Gilmer said the offense will look similar, but it will lean more toward using the running game as its foundation. There’s good reason for that, given the talented depth the Cougars have returning at the running back spot.
Lazarius Hinkle, Edward Osley and Cam’ron Williams are all back in the Clay-Chalkville backfield. All three contributed greatly last year and are just juniors. All three should see plenty of time on the field with the Cougars planning to use a two-back system often.
“They can do a lot of different things,” Gilmer said.
Out wide, Clay-Chalkville loses JaMichael Thompson, but returns senior receiver Antonio Miles, a big body that’s a tough matchup for opposing defenses. Marquarius White, Jordan McCants, Ortavious Miles, Nate Owens and Isaiah Carlisle are other players that should be in the mix to catch passes.
Up front, the conversation starts Izziah Williams, a senior who can play anywhere on the offensive line.
“He’s nasty, he’s physical, he can move, he’s athletic, he can snap. He does it all,” Gilmer said.
Kyrell Wiggins, Xavier Norman, Fred Samuel and Corey Calvin are also expected to contribute along the line.
Calling the shots will be Khalib Johnson and Ashton Frye, a pair of junior quarterbacks Clay-Chalkville feels confident with. Johnson also plays basketball and now stands at 6-foot-2 and is 200 pounds.
“I think Khalib is going to have a phenomenal year,” Gilmer said.
DEFENSE
There is no longer a dominant force along the Cougars’ defensive front a la DJ Dale, who is now a sophomore at Alabama. But there’s no reason to think Clay-Chalkville’s defense won’t still be strong. The Cougars allowed just over 17 points per game last season.
“We’re going to be a little different,” Gilmer said. “We’re going to have really athletic, strong, fast guys that we can do a lot of different things with.”
On the defensive line, Rodarius Sykes is the most significant returner, with the likes of Ja’mon Smith, Jordan Walker and Devin Finley among those battling to be in the mix.
“There’s a lot of guys in rotation there that we think all have tremendous upside. We’ve got to figure all that out,” Gilmer said.
Jonathan Harris will anchor the Clay-Chalkville defense from the inside linebacker position. Gilmer called Harris one of the most impressive linebackers from a physical standpoint in program history. Nyequavion White and Jamarcus Dunn will also contribute heavily in the linebacker mix. Robert Blanco will play the Star position, which serves as an outside linebacker/safety hybrid for the Cougars.
In the secondary, Kere Thomas, Kameron Peterson and LaMar Croskey are among those back. Jayden Sweeney, Ormond Wallace and Jerald Billingsley will also get a chance to contribute on the back end.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Clay-Chalkville gets one more year of Jaren Van Winkle, a 6A first-team all-state selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association last fall. He will handle all of the placekicking, punting and kickoff duties for the Cougars.
SCHEDULE
The Cougars will play a nine-game schedule in 2020, with off weeks in Week 5 and 10. Outside the region, the Cougars will open the season with road games at Shades Valley and Hueytown. They will also close the regular season with Huffman.
Region 6 has some new flavor this season, with the Cougars playing Jasper, Gardendale, Minor before their first off week.
Clay follows that up with contests against Jackson-Olin, Mortimer Jordan and Pinson Valley in region play. Defending state champ Oxford is no longer in the region, but the additions of Mortimer Jordan and Jackson-Olin will provide quality matchups all the same.
“You don’t have any automatics,” Gilmer said of the region. “We may not be as top-heavy as we’ve been in the past, but the region is very well-rounded.”