LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE WARRIORS
Head coach: Bo Campbell (17-34 in five years here; 21-50 overall)
Returning starters: 6 offensive; 1 defensive
Key players: QB Malachi Powell (6-1, 210); RB Jevonnie Womble (5-11, 175); RB Jacob Brown (5-8, 175); OL Taylor Frady (6-0, 250); OL Matt Hope (5-7, 225); DB Blake Thornburg (6-0, 160).
Team strengths: In Womble, Brown and sophomore WR Trevon Gott, the Warriors have the speed to make defenses nervous, and with Powell and fullbacks Benji Valdes and Chase Rizzo, they have the ability to get tough yards between the tackles.
Team concerns: LFO graduated a lot of production on defense and will be vulnerable against physical offenses early as first-time starters man each of the front seven spots.
Breakout candidate: With so little experience back on defense, the Warriors will need to ramp up offensive production this year, so much is expected of three-year starter Powell. He’s probably the team’s most powerful runner and makes good decisions as the trigger man in the triple-option-based offense.
Season outlook: Last year’s Warriors lost two games by more than 14 points, and they were in the final two weeks against the region’s top two teams, North Murray and Calhoun, which kept LFO out of the playoffs.
Making a run this year will be dependent on a defense that has the unenviable task of replacing 10 of 11 starters (only Thornburg returns). Coach Campbell acknowledges the “big challenge” but prefers to look at the situation from a positive point of view.
“I’ll say this: We’ve had a lot of guys step up,” he said. “Our players understand there are a lot of holes to fill. With that lack of experience, there is a lot of competition. There are, in some cases, two or three guys vying for one spot, which makes you better.”
The offense is a different story. Campbell believes Powell will make a big difference in a couple of ways.
“Malachi has matured a lot as a football player and as a person,” he said. “He had a great sophomore year, I felt, and a decent junior year. He felt he could have been better, and he came into this year with a whole new attitude. He’s got a different swag about him, and he’s become a more vocal leader for us, which I felt we needed.”
Staff file photo by Robin Rudd / Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe quarterback Malachi Powell (4) can be counted on to get tough yards between the tackles for the Warriors.