Friday, May. 09, 2008
Chargers have QB; focus on defense, run
By BRYCE NIEMAN
Chargers coach Bart Helsley said the first few weeks of spring practices have been encouraging as he’s seen positives on both sides of the ball.
"It’s been really spirited," Helsley said. "The defense has been energetic, and offensively, we’ve been trying to put an emphasis on the running game."
The defense and rushing attack were the Chargers’ downfalls last season. Central gave up more than 46 points per game in 2007, while rushing for 70 yards a game – both lows for District 5-5A.
Helsley said Central will mainly use the spring to see who among last year’s non-varsity athletes can step up and help the Chargers reverse those trends.
"We may also move a couple kids around and make some positional changes," Helsley said. "Other than that, it’s just a time to get out on the field and get things mapped out for next year."
Despite opposing defenses keying in on the Chargers passing game, Central’s production through the air was topped only by district champion Southlake Carroll.
First-year starter Dustin Stenta deserved some of the credit for that as the junior completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for over 2,600 yards. He also had the luxury of throwing to a solid corps of receivers adept at both getting open and moving the chains once they got their hands on the ball.
With Stenta returning, starting quarterback is one question Helsley’s staff doesn’t have to worry about. However, Helsley said he knows the importance of finding solid players to back up Stenta.
"It’s nice to have a quarterback returning," Helsley said. "That’s a critical spot in our offense.
"I know he’s looking forward to next year, but it’s also a chance for some younger kids to step up and fight for backup spots."
Stenta will still have a big target to throw to in Jarrod Darden, but two-thirds of last season’s talented receiving trio is gone with the graduation of Jacob Drinkard and Ed Amerson.
Helsley said the offense will need guys who played small roles last season to pick up the slack in the fall. Ryan Wysocki, Israel Valentin and Mason Melton are the top retuning receivers after Darden.
Returning Stenta under center also means the Central offense gets its leading rusher back. Stenta led the team with 440 yards on the ground last season.
Central will look to returning starter Trenton Turrentine for a strong junior season, and hope to build a stronger, more efficient offensive line to open a few more holes for him and anyone else the Chargers stick in the backfield.
Helsley said some of the top battles of the spring are taking place in the defensive secondary. Spots at safety and corner are up for grabs.
After overhauling its defensive scheme last spring, Central isn’t changing up much this year. The Chargers went from a more traditional defense to a 33 stack look last year.
The coaching staff will be looking at every position, Helsley said, analyzing what they have to do to be competitive in District 5-5A in the fall.
"We’ve got plenty of room for improvement," Helsley said. "We’ve got a ways to go, but I think we made progress after the first week, and I feel pretty good about where we are right now."
Central will hold workouts all next week and continue the following week leading up to its Spring Game on May 20.
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