Helena

HUSKIES

The 2019 football season was full of history for the Helena Huskies. They won their first region championship in school history, most games in school history (9) and scored their most points in school history (387).

Now, the attention turns to the 2020 season and trying to replicate that success. But with the loss of 28 seniors, doing so isn’t going to be an easy task.

Helena will have 20 seniors on this year’s team as well, but many will be filling holes that were previously filled by three-year starters.

The defense will lose a lot of production, but the offensive side of the ball should be alright thanks to the return of a strong offensive line and its top running back in a run-heavy system.

Depending on how fast the team can overcome inexperience and if the veteran players don’t become relaxed with last year’s results, Helena should once again be a threat this season.

MEET THE TEAM

QUARTERBACK

The biggest setback on the offensive side of the ball will be the loss of starting quarterback Luke Stamba. In his time at Helena, Stamba started for three years and was a leader. Last year, as a senior, he posted 1,316 passing yards and 744 rushing yards with a combined 21 touchdowns.

Looking to replace him will be last year’s backup Mac Turner. A junior this season, Turner is a 6-foot2, 185-pound quarterback who is comfortable in the pocket. With his size, he can see the field well and brings a strong arm to the table with a great deep ball. Backing him up will be Kolby Harris, who started seven games at safety last year. He’s an athletic presence that adds senior experience to

CLASSIFICATION

AHSAA Class 6A, Region 3

2019 RECORD

9-2 (6-0)

HEAD COACH

Richie Busby

RECORD

13-8 (Third year)

ASSISTANT COACHES

Jim Elgin, Keith Maple, Scott Lowery, Greg Appling, Shane Hutchinson, Adam Bice, David Lee, Dale Massey, Shaun Kendall, Phillip Lawson, Jody Colvin, Rob Beard

LAST REGION TITLE

2019

LAST PLAYOFF GAME

2019

Marquis Johnson

IceBerk Cave

the position.

RUNNING BACK

The top running back in the county last year will return to Helena’s backfield this season. Marquis Johnson, who posted 1,478 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on 207 carries, will return for his senior season and be the leader of the offense with Stamba gone. Johnson stands at 5-foot-7, 170 pounds, but is extremely powerful for his size with great explosiveness. Kobe Hughes got significant carries last year as well and will be a between-the-tackles back with a frame of 5-foot-9, 205 pounds. He is also a senior who the coaching staff is excited about. In addition to that, junior Kasyn Bustamento and sophomore A.J. Horsestead are athletes who will play at the position, while freshmen Jordan Washington

2020 SCHEDULE

Aug. 21: Dallas County Aug. 28: @ Chelsea Sept. 4: @ Wetumpka* Sept. 11: @ Benjamin Russell* Sept. 18: Pelham* Sept. 25: @ McAdory Oct. 2: Chilton County* Oct. 9: @ Calera* Oct. 16: Stanhope Elmore* Oct. 23: Bye Oct. 30: UMS Wright

*Region game

and Eli Ray both have a chance to earn time as well. The biggest concern at will be the loss of H-back Chris Miller, who made their run game go with his blocking.

RECEIVERS

The most concerning unit on the offensive side of the football will be at

Mac Turner, QB

With Luke Stamba gone, junior Mac Turner is set to take the reins at quarterback and will have to fill the shoes of a three-year starter.

Marquis Johnson, RB

Johnson was the county’s best running back last year, and will once again be a threat returning 1,478 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.

IceBerk Cave, LB

Cave will be one of the top returning tacklers on the team after totaling 85 tackles last year, including eight for loss and six sacks.

Seaburn Hines, OL

One of the state’s best offensive linemen, Hines is committed to Georgia Southern and will be instrumental in Johnson having another big year and helping Turner feel comfortable.

KEY DEPARTURES

Luke Stamba

Stamba’s experience as a three-year starter will be missed due to his ability to run the offense.

Nathan Dunaway

One of the best players in school history, he was last year’s leading tackler with 129 tackles.

Tucker Knight

Knight has been a dominant force at linebacker and on the defensive line the last three years.

Cole Pugh

Pugh is another linebacker and defensive lineman that will take three years of experience with him.

LaDarrius Rice

Rice was a consistent playmaker in the secondary and forced teams to stay away from him last year.

GROUND AND POUND Under Busby, Helena is a team that will take the ground-and-pound theme to heart. They want to block well and run hard each game. With the return of three starting offensive linemen and a 1,400-plus yard running back who totaled 26 touchdowns, they’ll heavily rely on the ground game again this season. That should help take pressure off the inexperience at receiver and quarterback.

QUARTERBACK QUESTIONS It’s not necessarily Stamba’s production that needs to be replaced at the quarterback position, but his experience and ability to lead at the position. Spending three years as the starter, including two under Busby, he understood the system and the game. Now, Turner is going to have to step in and handle that pressure as a first-year starter. He’s got the offensive line and running back to help take pressure off, but he’ll also have to step up as a leader and form connections with an inexperienced group of receivers.

A FRESH LOOK Changing up regions will give the Huskies a new experience going into the 2020 season. The difficulty of the schedule will truly depend on how quickly they can gain experience, but with four of their first six games on the road, including their first two region games, there won’t be much time for error early on. There isn’t an easy stretch on the schedule with games that should be close both early in the season and on the back half. But Helena is now a team that believes it can win after last year, and even with new faces, that should help in a new region. receiver. The Huskies had seven senior receivers last year and lost all of their starters. With Turner’s ability to throw the deep ball, Busby said at least three players need to step up, starting with J.C. Sivley. His size at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds going into his junior season can be a difference maker if he takes advantage of his time as a starter. Jayden Jackson, who has played at times the last few years, will be a senior that can help too. J.T. Carson is also a senior the coaching staff is going to lean on as an athletic presence. From there, Harris will play one of the receiver spots if not at quarterback,

while sophomore Miles Mitchell will transition to receiver this year. Ryne Berry and Garrett Morton will battle for time as well.

OFFENSIVE LINE

While Helena will replace two key starters up front in Sam Regina and Chase Perry, the Huskies return three starters to the offensive line and will eventually rotate six or seven players. The clear leader of the unit is Seaburn Hines, who stands at 6-foot-2, 305 pounds, and is committed to play collegiately at Georgia Southern. Jack Blanton, 6-foot-1,

EDITOR’S 2020 PREDICTION (6-4)

Not only is there unknown on Helena’s roster this season, but there is unknown about the competition as well. Depending on how quickly the Huskies’ talent comes along, they could battle for the region title once again or they could be fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot. There is a strong chance to start 2-0 and then, a two-week stretch of road games against Wetumpka and Benjamin Russell will kick off region play. If the Huskies can win those two games and start 4-0, that would be a huge success and would change the dynamic of the season. I think early in the season, it will be good to rely on the offensive line and the run game, but eventually, quarterback and receivers will have to step up, while the defense will have to show that it can handle replacing loads of talent. A winning record will continue a good trend for Helena considering the amount of talent replaced, but it’s up to this year’s team to determine whether it’s 6-4 or better.

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265 pounds, and Matthew Ray, 6-foot, 255 pounds, will also return as starters at the position. Those three are leaders and will make life easier for Turner and Johnson. Behind that, there are a few battling for the final two spots. Bryson Rhodes, Dalton Griffin, Trace Barnett, Jake Julius, Skyler Stephens and Turner Morrison will either start or add depth.

DEFENSIVE LINE

As a whole, the defense will lose more than 400 tackles from last year’s team, including 166 on the defensive line from Cole Pugh, Tucker Knight and Ethan Trimm. Two key pieces this season will be juniors Joel Logan and Noah McDonald at defensive end. Logan has a ton of upside at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, while McDonald adds speed off the edge. Backups to those two

McAdory @ Hueytown @ Homewood Minor Southside-Gadsden Chelsea @ Carver-Birmingham @ Jackson-Olin Pelham @ Calera Clay-Chalkville*

*Playoff game W L W W W W W W W W L 38-14 24-32 28-24 28-14 61-10 31-28 45-13 49-21 62-20 21-3 0-17

2019 STATS

Offense Total points: 387 Per game: 35.2 County rank: 4

Defense Points allowed: 196 Per game: 17.8 County rank: 2

NO. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 32 33

2020 Helena Roster

NAME Jayden Jackson Mac Turner Peyton Woodall Tim Gooden JC Sivley Kaysn Bustamento Kolby Harris IceBerk Cave Justin Yunke Hudson McCaslin Miles Mitchell Connor Pugh Andre Odom Kyle Tolbert Mathew Thompson Walter Womack Grayson Garner Marquis Johnson Jake Kruse JT Carson AJ Horstead Damien Hines Jackson Snyder Kobe Hughes Joel Logan James Preston Lawson Smith Tyler Payne Harrison Franks Kenny Hawkins POSITION

WR

QB

LB

WR

WR

RB

ATH

LB

LB

WR

WR

S

HB

S

DE

DB

HB

RB

DB/WR

WR

RB

DB

DB

RB

DE

DB

LB

DB

DB

DB

YEAR

12 11 11 12 11 11 12 11 11 10 10 11 11 11 10 10 12 12 12 12 10 11 11 12 11 12 12 10 10 11

NO. 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 63 64 66 NAME Hunter Bright Scout Brooks Jax Rush Errol Anderson Jon Michael Combs Chris Funches Ryan Dillahunty Josh Williams Dylan Greer Brock Sisson Kellen Hughes Joey Corbin Brayden King Hunter DeVore Charlie Harper Walter Krzykalski Jackson Thomas Tyler Peterson Chris Pacheco Tanner James Jacorey Sherman Dalton Griffin Jarvis Elston Julian Busby Bryon Holland Bryson Rhodes Owen Campbell Chase Holmes Matthew Ray Phillip Allen POSITION

LB LB HB DB HB DB LB DB RB LB RB DL WR RB DB LB OL DL LB DL OL OL LB DL DE OL OL DL DL OL

YEAR

10 12 10 11 12 10 10 11 11 12 10 11 10 10 11 10 10 12 10 10 10 11 12 10 11 11 10 12 12 10

NO. 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 97 NAME Cole Yarbourgh Trace Barnett Skyler Stevens Deason Capps Derrick Wilson Hunter Johnson Jake Julius Seaburn Hines Spencer Bozeman Connor Mcree Turner Morrison Jack Blanton Xavier Guy Peyton Benefield Garrett Morton Jack Carson Ryne Berry Jerry Jackson William Marshall Alex Pierce Garrett Allen Zach Freeman Chris Wamble Nick Payne Aidan Naron Kevin Kim Matthew Blocker Cole Yarbourgh Nathan Butts Zac Read POSITION

DL OL OL OL DL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR WR DE WR WR WR WR WR TE WR DE K DL K DL DE DL

YEAR

10 10 11 10 10 12 10 12 11 10 12 12 10 10 11 12 11 10 11 10 12 10 10 11 11 12 11 10 11 12

5-YEAR WIN TREND

9 9

2019 4

2018 1

2017 3

2016 2015 will be junior Kevin Kim and sophomore Matthew Thompson. Two seniors will fill the interior portion of the line as starters with 6-foot, 290-pound Hunter Johnson and 5-foot-10, 240-pound Joey Corbin bringing great size to the position. Both return significant snaps from last year, while the coaching staff is excited about backups Derrick Wilson and Xavier Guy as well. Jack Carson and Brian Holland will also add help.

LINEBACKERS

While the linebackers will lose the best player on the defensive side of the ball with the departure of Nathan Dunaway’s 129 tackles, the unit does return starters in IceBerk Cave and

HELENA HUSKIES!

400

Arguably the most difficult void to fill this season will be on the defensive side of the ball with more than 400 tackles gone, including Nathan Dunaway’s 129. In addition to him, threeyear starters like Cole Pugh, Tucker Knight, Ethan Trimm, LaDarrius Rice, Zach Goodwin and Jade Hildreth are all gone from the defensive side of the ball, which leaves major holes to fill and puts a lot of pressure on returning linebackers IceBerk Cave and Lawson Smith.

KEY NUMBERS

387

Last year was a year of history for the Huskies, who set a team record with 387 points scored, won their most games in school history and won their first region championship in school history. That’s a program-changing type of year that should impact the confidence and belief of team’s moving forward. If it continues this season, it will become something that feels normal for the Huskies each year.

28

The biggest blow to the Huskies this season will be the departure of 28 seniors. Last year’s senior class was one that had been playing together for three years, including two under Busby, and they finally got to the point of believing they could not only compete, but beat the best, which led to history. Now, there are a few strong leaders left on the team, but the young players will have to have the same belief and will have to carry over what last year’s dynamic senior class started.

1,478

The obvious bright spot to this year’s team will be the return of Marquis Johnson’s 1,478 rushing yards. He earned an All-County First Team nod last year as the county’s top running back, and will have a solid offensive line to run behind again. He also brings back 26 touchdowns and will get plenty of help with reliable depth to help keep him fresh.

GOOD LUCK Huskies!

Lawson Smith. Cave is getting Division I offers and returns 85 total tackles, including eight tackles for loss and six sacks from his sophomore season. Smith will be a senior this year and returns 90 total tackles with six for loss. Senior Brock Sisson has a good chance to be the third guy at the position, while Scout Brooks, Hunter Bright and Justin Yunke will all help as well.

SECONDARY

The secondary will also take a big hit with the departure of LaDarrius Rice, Zach Goodwin and Jade Hildreth. Junior Kyle Tolbert and senior Damian Hines are two that will play at cornerback and bring good athleticism to the table, while Jackson Snyder and Jake Cruce will help at the position. Walter Womack, Tim Gooden and Jay Preston could help either at corner or at safety as well. Connor Pugh will be leaned on heavily at the safety position, while Peyton Woodall and Harrison Franks will also split time.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Huskies will lose kicker Logan Maloney, who came up big in several games last year. J.T. Carson will handle some punting and kicking, while Aiden Naron and Matthew Blocker will battle for the rest of the kicking duties. Johnson, Bustamento, Jackson and Franks are athletes that will help in the return game.

Time to shine Helena leaning on leaders to overcome inexperience

Written by ALEC ETHEREDGE | Photos by KEITH MCCOY AND JEREMY RAINES

HOW DO YOU TOP winning your first region championship, beating your rival for the first time, winning a school-record nine games and setting a record for most points in a season?

There’s no easy answer to that question, but it’s one the 2020 Helena Huskies will hope to find an answer to this season.

Last year’s team will live on as one of the most historic in school history after their 9-1 regular season and 9-2 finish, but despite the loss of 28 seniors, this year’s team doesn’t lack talent.

“The group that will be juniors this year went undefeated as freshmen and the class ahead and one behind that junior class have talented players as well,” third-year head

coach Richie Busby said. “We feel like they can be good because of that. The success they’ve seen can only help them this year.”

In addition to a strong junior class, there will still be between 20 and 22 seniors on this year’s team as well. While the team will be younger across the board at key positions and many will be inexperienced, some of the experienced players will be leaned on heavily to help lead, and they’ll use the example last year’s crew set.

Two of those seniors will be on the offensive side of the ball including running back Marquis Johnson and Seaburn Hines.

Hines has been a starter the last three years up front and is the best lineman Busby has ever coached according to the head coach, while Johnson is the county’s top returning running back this year after totaling 1,478 yards on the ground last year.

“Marquis is going to be great,” Hines said. “We can trust him. Kobe Hughes is another guy that is going to surprise a lot of people there at running back too. If I can push (the offensive line) a little bit further, we may have one of the best offensive lines we’ve had.”

That’s the kind of leadership Busby wants from those players, noting that will be what determines whether this year’s team can duplicate last year’s success.

“This year’s group has to take on the role that they’re the guys that have to step up to help create that physical tough-minded group,” Busby said. “It’s up to them to establish it.”

Defensively, the Huskies are losing more than 400 tackles and most of the leaders on that side of the ball, but returning will be IceBerk Cave and Lawson Smith, who combined for 175 tackles last year at the linebacker position.

Those two will have to not only replicate that success, but also fill the void of some other departures, while younger players will need to step up.

“We lost nine starters on defense and several backups,” Busby said. “We will start some freshmen at times this year and may have some athletes play both ways too. Right now, the defense isn’t seasoned yet, but as they get reps in fall practice and games, we’ll see how they come along.”

Going into fall practice and the early portion of the season, Busby said the team needs to find its identity to reach its full potential.

“We know we want to be physical in the run game and on defense. That’s our philosophy and what we’ll try to establish,” Busby said. “We’ll find out if we have the kids to do that or not. It all boils down to how fast we can overcome inexperience.”