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PIGSKIN PREVIEW AUGUST 2021
Pigskin Preview 2021
Potosi relying on smaller, more athletic approach MATT KING matt.king@lee.net
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OTOSI – The chaos surrounding the coronavirus last season derailed a promising start for Potosi football under former player and new head coach Dylan Wyrick. The Trojans opened with a 12-0 shutout victory over Owensville, then challenged state-ranked Class 5 program Farmington to the wire in a narrow 10-6 defeat. But for circumstances beyond its control, the team spent the next two months shuffling the lineup and hoping to have enough healthy players available each Friday night. Being clearly short-handed also slowed the transition toward implementing a more diversified offense, and Potosi eventually finished 5-5 overall. “I think we succeeded in overcoming adversity. We had all the pieces in place for success, but we kept getting quarantined. After week 2, it was pretty tough, having lost eight starters,” Wyrick said. “When the kids would come back from quarantine, they would be out of shape and it would take a while to catch up with what we were doing. For them to come back and still win five games, including a big win over Sikeston with only two days to prepare, I thought they did a really good job.” Potosi will offer a glaring contrast in appearance from recent years, where a power running game was usually facilitated by the largest offen-
Blake Missey
Blake Henson
sive line in the area. Graduation has removed a significant fraction of size up front, but the shifting of some faster athletes from other positions can make the Trojans more creative, and perhaps more explosive.
Former fullbacks Wyatt Knapp and Levi Courtney will start at center and guard, respectively, and Hunter Kincaid moves from a backup tight end role to the other guard spot. Junior quarterback Blake
Coleman figures to greatly increase the passing presence for Potosi. Protection from two new starting tackles will be crucial to his effectiveness. “Our offensive line is a lot smaller. We’ve had to convert a bunch of fullbacks and
tight ends,” Wyrick said. “It’s working out well because they are fast, can pull and work sideline to sideline. “We can really use the whole field with them. They can move up and block linebackers in space, which is something we haven’t been able to do in the past.” Blake Coleman takes over permanently where his brother, Andrew Coleman, took snaps as a four-year varsity starter while rarely attacking through the air. The new QB will operate with a formidable group of receivers led by junior Gavin Portell, whose vertical leap and sure hands present a needed deep threat. “Blake is a true pro-style quarterback. He’s a pocket guy, commands the offense well, and is a natural. I’m looking forward to turning him loose this year,” Wyrick said. “Our receivers have put in a lot of work in the offseason, not just catching the ball
well, but understanding how to run routes and recognizing coverage and pre-snap reads.” The Trojans maintain a priority to establish the run. However, the usual committee of bruisers carrying the ball may give way to a more elusive approach in fewer hands. Senior tailback Blake Henson, featured heavily in the backfield amid the absences of several teammates last fall, represents a dangerous option on any given play. Returning junior Zane West also factors heavily into the ground game, while Blake Missey bolsters the receiving corps as another of numerous two-way starters. Potosi tallied just seven points or less in each of its five losses, including two struggling efforts to close last season against De Soto and Salem. “Everyone has a better grasp on our philosophy and schemes and expectations in general. The culture is more
establis “We’re were la we’re m ly on off
