CHRISTIAN HERITAGE LIONS
Head coach: Jay Poag (19-23 in four years here; 26-26 overall)
Returning starters: 8 offensive; 9 defensive
Key players: WR/FS Evan Lester (6-3, 215); QB Christian Thomas (6-1, 190); RB/LB Gage Leonard (5-10, 190); LB Ben Hermann (6-2, 200); LB Ben Williamson (6-foot, 215); DE Riley Reece (6-3, 215); RB/DB Solomon Locke (6-0, 190); OL/DL Caden Mathis (6-3, 220).
Team strengths: With 17 starters returning from a 9-2 team, there are strengths everywhere. The Lions will boast one of the most balanced offenses in Class A and have rare depth for one of the smallest schools in the state.
Team concerns: The only real concern is finding a replacement for all-state kicker Joe Dixon.
Breakout candidate: Leonard broke out as a sophomore with 1,200 total yards, 13 touchdowns and 112 tackles, but Coach Poag believes that’s just the start for a player he calls “phenomenal on both sides of the ball.”
Season outlook: This is the season Poag and his staff have been waiting on, and he doesn’t downplay expectations.
“We’ve built this thing for the last four years, and it’s been getting better each year,” he said. “We’ve got the whole team back, so our kids think we can be in the (state championship) conversation this year. All these kids are three- and four-year starters, and they are ready to go try and win a championship. We think we’ve got as good a shot as anybody.”
The reasons are plentiful and start with a four-headed monster attack on offense with Thomas, Leonard, Lester and Locke to go with four of five linemen back. Thomas is a dual threat, coming off his first year starting with 22 touchdowns and more than 2,000 total yards. Leonard rushed for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Locke made the most of his opportunities by averaging 14 yards per carry.
If defenses load up to stop the ground game, they end up dealing with Lester, a fast and physical receiver who had 735 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019.
He and Leonard also form one of the area’s best safety tandems, having combined for nearly 200 tackles last year. The defense also returns its two top tacklers in Hermann and Williamson, plus five linemen with extensive varsity experience, including transfer Levi Lewis.