Media Days: Blue Devils fight complacency
Published 10:19 am Thursday, July 28, 2016
- Mortimer Jordan head football coach Dusty Goode sits with running back Spencer Brown (28) and wide receiver Trey Peters (5) at Jefferson-Shelby County High School Football Media Days in Gardendale.
Mortimer Jordan head football coach Dusty Goode sat between running back Spencer Brown and wide receiver Trey Peters at Jefferson-Shelby County High School Football Media Days in Gardendale, and spoke about avoiding complacency following a historic season.
The Blue Devils climbed to the 2015 Class 5A state finals for the first time in school history, falling to St. Paul’s by a count of 41-26 in Tuscaloosa’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. As Goode stressed, “Last season is over.”
“The positives, we’ve set anew standard for how Mortimer Jordan football should be. The negatives, people are still eating the cake; they’re satisfied,” said Goode. “What we’ve done in the past is over with and I grant you, I’m going to be judged on Aug. 19 when we go to Cordova.”
Mortimer Jordan must replace nine offensive starters from last year’s Super 7 qualifiers, including quarterback Duncan Hodges. At this point, sophomore Chase Crane looks like he will be getting the first opportunity to fill those large shoes.
“He’s a great kid and going to be a great ballplayer,” said Goode of Crane. “He’s a little young and inexperienced right now, so you just have to throw him in the fire and see what he can do.”
The team will also look to Peters to step out of the slot and into the backfield to take direct snaps from time to time.
Regardless of who’s taking the snap from center, they will have a big, proven back to lean on. Brown, a 230-pound bruiser, ran for 890 yards on 117 carries last season before landing a UAB scholarship offer in June. Brown can expect 25-30 carries per outing, according to Goode.
Stay posted for more on Mortimer Jordan’s day in front of the media. The North Jefferson News preseason football preview will come out in print on Aug. 17.
Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.