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MURRAY COUNTY INDIANS
Head coach: Chad Brewer (24-56 here and overall)
Returning starters: 5 offensive; 4 defensive
Last year’s record: 4-6, did not qualify for playoffs
Key players: Taylor Carrell (5-9, 160) Sr. WR/RB/S, Tyson Leonard (6-2, 180) Sr. QB/WR, Justice Knott (6-1, 190) Sr. QB/RB, Aaron Flood (5-10, 180) Jr. RB/LB, Eli Hope (6-2, 279) Jr. OL, Caleb Peden (6-0, 200) Sr. TE/DE
Season outlook: Ever the optimist, Brewer said even last season’s pandemic-altered season – one in which the Indians were poised to make a run at the playoffs before losing players to COVID-19 protocols in key games – could have a positive effect on his team’s 2021 outlook.
While some of Murray County’s stars lost games, a group of younger players gained valuable experience that could make their transition into the starting lineup smoother.
“People in our region know that we lost a bunch of good players from last year and we are clearly an underdog this season, but to me underdog is a great place to be right now,” Brewer said. “A big key for us is a lot of younger kids got to play earlier than expected last year, and that can only help.”
It also helps when two of the school’s best athletes, basketball players Caleb Hooker and Carson Weaver (6-3, 190), decide to give the gridiron a try. The seniors will play receiver, an area hit particularly hard by graduation, and could contribute in the secondary as well. As for who will throw them the ball, Carrell and Leonard were locked in a battle to be the starting quarterback.
“We’re going to play them both until we realize the one we need to go with,” Brewer said. “The other one will definitely play another position, because they are both good athletes.”