School record-holder Sam Wright quite literally carried the Cave Spring Knights to the state semifinals in 2011, with more than 400 rushes and almost 2,800 yards in an unbelievable senior season.
But Wright is gone to graduation, as are four of the five starting offensive lineman from last year's Knights. That means there are plenty of jobs to fill and new stars stepping up for Tim Fulton's bunch.
"We have four young men vying for the job at tailback who are doing a great job. We'll settle on one or two eventually. It allows us, because of good athletes to then disperse them somewhere else into the offense," Fulton said.
Dylan Brucki, Knights' only returning offensive lineman, said: "We didn't do a whole lot of pass blocking last year. Maybe about four or five plays, but we'll get a little more in this year."
The plan on offense is to block for a more balanced attack in 2012. Connor Baker takes over starting quarterback duties after missing all of last year with an ACL injury. And Fulton thinks the offense could resemble the 50/50 split of run and pass that Cave Spring used when Josh Woodrum was under center.
Senior quarterback Connor Baker said, "We're hoping to throw it around a bit more than last year. We still have a good line coming back and the running backs too, so we'll mix it up."
Jon Evans, a senior cornerback/receiver said: "We're a spread team so we try to spread 'em out as much as we can, pass a little bit and then hit 'em with a run."
Jordan Bryant, a senior tight end/linebacker said: "He's so smart, he remembers everything. He's got a real fluid throw, arm motion, just great. He can dish it anywhere you want."
