It’s easy to look at this season as a rebuilding year for Orangeburg Prep.

Graduation saw the departure of 23 seniors, many of whom played a vital role in winning a SCISA Region 2-AAA championship in head coach Adam Holmes’ first season. From the outside, expecting anything close to last year’s success would seem unimaginable.

Holmes sees it a different way. If anything, the bar of expectations at OPS is higher for the 2009 Indians as they look to build on last year’s accomplishments.

“Like I’ve always said, our main goal here is to win championships,” Holmes said. “Our goal is to win a region title and play for a state title. It always will be. The difference we’re going to have is just new faces out there. We’ve got some guys that have really worked hard. If we can start jelling a little bit more, we’ve got some playmakers that can play on both sides of the field.”

Making Holmes’ job easier is how quickly OPS adopted his spread offense. Seemingly overnight, the Indians put up passing numbers rarely seen in recent years, led by quarterback Thomas Plumb and wide receivers Michael Williamson and A.J. Andrews.

With the players having a better feel for the offense, Holmes said to expect even more new looks on the field. That’s especially true with new signal-callers in junior Michael Schriver (6-2, 165) and former junior varsity quarterback sophomore Cap Thackson (6-2, 190), who were battling for the starting nod heading into the Aug. 21 season-opener against Augusta Christian.

“They’re both really kind of battling right now,” Holmes said.

“They both have their strengths. They both have their weaknesses. Michael has been in the system, so he has a little bit of leadership role. Cap has a good arm.”

At wide receiver, junior Trent Barrack (5-11, 150) and sophomore Sean Odom (6-1, 160) will try to provide the same speed and outside threat as Williamson and Andrews did. At running back, senior Walker Smith (5-10, 175) makes the transition from linebacker as he looks to provide the same production as Chris Williams did.

The offensive line also underwent a makeover with four new starters to go with returning senior right tackle Joe Schriver (6-3, 205). Seniors like left tackler Tyler Houser (6-2, 235), left guard Evan Salley (6-3, 190) and center Brian Beverly (5-11, 175) were either back-ups or played exclusively on the defensive line last season. Senior right guard Ronnie Goodwin (6-0, 220) is making his return after his season ended following the third game due to injury.

On defense, expect most of the offensive line to perform double duty up front on the defensive side with senior Connor Guess (6-4, 225) working into the rotation. Holmes believes the linebacking position will be a team strength with junior Thacker Staley (5-10, 195) at MIKE, Smith on the strong side and sophomore James Blume (5-9, 175) at BANDIT.

The secondary returns intact with Barrack and junior Trey Kyzer (5-8, 150) on the corners and newcomer senior Cody Campbell (6-0, 170) at strong safety. Barrack and Campbell will also handle the punting and place-kicking duties, respectively.

After OPS’ season ended at home with a three-point loss to Ben Lippen in the first round of the SCISA playoffs, Holmes said it’s up to this year’s team to build on the foundation set by the seniors. Even with the recent dominance of Hammond, Holmes believes there’s enough parity in Class 3-A for a window of opportunity to open for the Indians.

“A lot of 3-A teams were senior-laden, so you’re going to see a lot of new faces,” Holmes said. “So hopefully, we’ll keep working hard and keep doing what you’re doing. It’s tough to start a winning tradition. In 1-2 years at Hammond, it took a good four years before we really got it rolling. It can happen. It can happen this year. It’s just the will and the want of these kids to win a championship. So, I think if we can stay healthy, we can compete in 3-A.”

Schedule

• 8/21 vs. Augusta Christian

• 8/28 vs. Thomas Heyward

• 9/4 at Hammond

• 9/11 vs. Heathwood Hall

• 9/18 at Pinewood Prep

• 9/25 at Laurence Manning

• 10/2 vs. Calhoun Academy

• 10/9 at Hilton Head Christian

• 10/16 vs. Wilson Hall

• 10/23 vs. Porter-Gaud

• 10/30 at Ben Lippen

All games scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Players to watch

(Offense) Joe Schriver, Senior, RT: The long returning starting offensive lineman for the Indians, Schriver is expected to provide leadership and help open holes for an offense with new starters at the skill positions.

(Defense) Walker Smith, Senior, LB: The strong-side linebacker amassed 155 tackles and two interceptions last season for the Indians. He’s at a position head coach Adam Holmes calls a “team strength.”

 

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