WESSON

Wesson Cobras

WESSON COBRAS

GEARING UP TO FIGHT ON EVERY PLAY IN 2022

Heading into his seventh season as head coach at Wesson, Jeremy Loy has built a culture within his Cobra football program.

Last season was a return to the 3A ranks for Wesson after the team won back-to-back region titles in the two seasons prior as a member of the 2A classification.

Playing in a loaded region last season that included the 2020 3A state champs from Magee, a Raleigh team that has the top ranked recruit in the state for the class of 2022 and an always tough Hazlehurst program — Wesson fought their way to a playoff birth — the first for the school as a 3A member since 2014.

And that’s what Loy’s bunch knows they’ll have to do in 2022, battle on every possession of every game.

“You look at our schedule and even on the front end, you’re facing quality competition every week,” said Loy. “We have to play really good football each time out and don’t hurt ourselves with self-inflicted mistakes. Our kids own the fact that there are plenty of times that they’ll be in a matchup with a guy across from them that might be more athletic, but we want to be the tougher guy in that fight.”

One guy that Loy knows he can count on to fight on every rep is his son, senior quarterback Will Loy.

Will Loy enters his final season of high school football having thrown for over 7,000 total yards.

After having a young group of receivers last season, he returns a more experienced unit of pass catchers in Justin Hailey, Caleb Chase and Dashawn Smith.

One big weapon will be freshman wideout O’Mari Johnson. Last season as an eighth grader, Johnson caught 25 passes, third on the team, for 283 yards and four scores. Hailey returns for his senior season after snagging 28 passes for 494 yards and three touchdowns last season.

2021 RESULTS (4-7)

TYLERTOWN 46, WESSON 30 WESSON 41, FRANKLIN COUNTY 6 WESSON 30, WILKINSON COUNTY 26 LUMBERTON 28, WESSON 18 MIZE 26, WESSON 18 HAZLEHURST 45, WESSON 0 RALEIGH 62, WESSON 32 WESSON 48, CRYSTAL SPRINGS 32 MAGEE 52, WESSON 0 WESSON 49, MCLAURIN 13 TYLERTOWN 44, WESSON 6

2022 ROSTER SENIORS

Will Loy, Justin Hailey, Cody Munn, Lucas McRee, Stevie Martin, JaVontae May, Orrin Ainsworth, Chris Harrison, Noah Cameron, Tony Sanders, Troy Byther Jr. JUNIORS

Zevantae Stapleton, Kaleb Chase SOPHOMORES

Cole Gibson, Cotton Westbrook, DeShawn Smith, Christian Martin, Austin Johnson, Wyatt Garrett, Korbin Ashmore, Clifford Jackson Jr., Patrick Coleman, Hunter Meredith, Ayden Carraway, Trevor McRee, Luke Shelton, Chase Britt, Brett Thompson, Hunter Ray FRESHMEN

Jaxon Barlow, Sam Scopel, Jack Wilson, Michael Guess, Parker Brooks, Keivon Brown, Aiden Wallace, JohnBrayden James, Ty Turner, Baylor Smith, Kemari Brown, O’Mari Johnson

There is also excitement around the expectations that the Wesson coaching staff has for junior running back Zevantae Stapleton. Stapleton had a strong career

On the line, senior Orrin Ainsworth will start at center and will have third year starter Jo’Vontae May lining up beside him at left guard.

Noah Cameron, who didn’t play last year, has come back to the team and will start at left tackle. Senior Chris Harrison will start at right guard and Loy expects sophomore Trevor McCree to hold down the right tackle position.

“We’re not overly experienced up front, but I really like the potential that this group has,” said Loy. “They’ve got some height across the group. The only way they’re going to really improve is by getting game action and once we get into it, I expect they’re going to settle in and come together.”

The defensive line is a position group that’s got difference makers on it for the Cobras. Senior Cody Munn is back at defensive end and lining up across from him at the other d-end spot is fellow senior Stevie Martin. Munn battled injuries last season, but can be a disruptive force when he’s healthy.

Martin came on in a major way in 2021 as he led the Wesson defense with 11.5 tackles for a loss.

Munn and fellow defensive lineman Korbin Ashmore will both also play tight end for Wesson on offense.

Senior Troy Byther is a disruptive presence for Wesson at nose tackle and returns after making 40 tackles last season, including 7.5 for a loss.

Also returning for the Cobra defense is the leading tackler from 2021, senior linebacker Lucas McCree. Last season McCree made 99 total tackles and the work he put in to triple his tackle total from his sophomore season to his junior year is indicative of what type of teammate he is.

“Lucas is going to give it his all,” said Loy. “He’s going to give it his all on every rep in the weight room, on every sprint in practice and on every play when Friday night comes. He’s the type of guy you want in your program year after year.”

Cotton Westbrook and Wyatt Hughes are two sophomore linebackers that Loy says will figure into the lineup.

Hank Jordan is back to coordinate the defense for Wesson. He’s got two new position coaches on his side of the ball in Forrest Buck and Josh Garrett. Buck will coach linebackers while Garret will teach the secondary while also tutoring the wideouts on offense.

Jordan coaches the defensive line while longtime offensive line coach Steve Barrington is back to lead that unit.

Garrett was the defensive coordinator for the last two seasons at Enterprise High. His addition to the Wesson staff means he’s also bringing his son, sophomore Wyatt Garrett.

At Enterprise, Wyatt Garrett played linebacker, but he’ll take up a spot as a safety for Wesson. Loy says his ability to make calls for the defense on the back end of the Cobra defense has made that group better.

Johnson, Chase, DeShawn Smith and most of the Wesson skills players on offense will see time in the defensive secondary.

“We’ve got to tackle better in the secondary,” said Loy. “The teams in our region are all capable of breaking explosive plays if you don’t wrap up and bring them down with sound tackling. Doing everything the right way every time is going to the difference for us a lot of nights and I think we’ve got a group that have that desire to be prepared and ready every Friday night.”