RED BANK LIONS
Head coach: Chris Brown (first season here and overall)
Returning starters: 6 offensive, 5 defensive
Key players: TE/DL Sam Gilbert (5-10, 200), ATH Calvin Jackson (5-10, 190), CB Michael Porter (5-9, 160), OL Cole Stevens (5-11, 250), QB Maddox Wilkey (6-0, 180).
Team strengths: The experience at key positions – for example, Wilkey completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,200 yards last season – and overall speed on both sides of the ball will be tough for any opponent to match. Jackson is an all-state athlete who’s a big play waiting to happen on offense and special teams.
“There is no substitute for big-game experience at quarterback, and we’ve got a really good one,” Brown said. “I can’t stress enough how much Calvin’s athletic ability and versatility will help us. He’s gotten so much bigger and stronger since last season, and we can move him around to play just about any position we want and he’ll be tough to stop.”
Team concerns: Only two starters return to the offensive line, where depth is as much of a concern as inexperience. How quickly the sophomores and juniors mature to become game-ready will dictate much of how successful the offense is.
Newcomers to watch: When Brown hired Teddy Lockerby to be his defensive coordinator, he also got a solid linebacker from Cleveland in the deal. Lockerby’s son Clark is a junior who will contribute immediately. Also, Lucas Brown is a basketball starter who decided to join the football team and will help immediately at receiver.
Season outlook: With so much talent returning from last season’s run to the Class 3A semifinals, it’s been nearly a decade since expectations were so high coming into a season.
Coaching changes can sometimes create an extra obstacle for teams to overcome, but keeping most of the previous staff has helped make it a smooth transition for the Lions. Just as important as bringing back the assistants is having Jackson and Wilkey back to light up the scoreboard every Friday. Those two combined for more than 4,000 yards and most of the team’s touchdowns in 2017.
“We have high expectations – first for ourselves as coaches, as well as because of our talent and depth at the skill positions,” Brown said. “We don’t hide from those expectations. I have a lot of reason to believe as long as we stay healthy that we’ll be very competitive.
“We have a lot of team speed overall and should be able to play a large number of kids.”