Football Preview: Parkway South Looking For Breakthrough Season

With a strong core returning, and a group of successful youngsters coming in, Parkway South football coach Travis Blevins is excited for the 2011 season.

The Patriots return six starters on each side of the ball. That nucleus is bolstered by a crop of sophomores and juniors who played on last year’s respective freshmen and junior varsity teams which each went 7-3.

Those were the first winning records for those squads in the six seasons that Blevins has been the head coach. His varsity club went 4-6 last year.

“When you’ve had losing seasons, you’ve got to overcome that mental part of the game,” Blevins said. “We have to battle that and the kids have fought hard. I’m proud of the kids we’ve had in the past and they’ve built this into what is hopefully a team that can tilt that bucket the other way.”

Offense: South returns starters at every skill position, except for running back. Gerard Graves rushed for 1,250 yards and 10 total touchdowns last year. He and backup Lawrence Scott, who also graduated, will be tough to replace. That could place more pressure on senior quarterback Eric Laurent, who threw for 1,085 yards with 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions a year ago.

“He’s a great trigger man for us,” Blevins said of the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Laurent. “He’s a big, athletic, fast kid with a strong arm. So we’re excited about what he offers us.”

Scott and Graves were also the team’s leading receivers in South’s triple-option offense. The Patriots return senior Justin Dwyer and junior Jordan Noyes on the outside. Tight end Edmond Peters is also back. South returns Corey Marquard, Donell Walker, Mike Erdey and Taylor Niemuth on the offensive line.

Blevins said Noyes is a versatile player who will be used all over the field at multiple positions.

Defense: One of those spots that the 6-foot, 195-pound Noyes will play is linebacker. He’ll be joined by senior Marty Robinson on the outside in South’s 3-4 scheme. Markese Leonard will stand-up from the defensive line to play linebacker. Senior safety Jack Moellenhoff will quarterback the secondary. Ryan Fischer and Cedric Bankhead also return in the defensive backfield.

“We’ve got guys back that we’re excited about,” Blevins said.

Coach: Blevins went 6-4 in his first season at South, but that was followed by a 3-7 campaign. He is 25-34 in his previous six seasons after going 4-6 a year ago. Blevins said he’s confident, “as much as a coach with a sub-.500 record can be.

“This senior class is the first class I’ve had from sixth grade on up,” he said. “This is the first year we return a good number of starters on either side of the ball. I’m real excited about what we having coming back this year.”

Schedule: The Patriots open at Fox on Friday and will break in the brand-new field turf at Patriots Stadium in Week 2 against Jackson.

“The community paid for it and, as a member of the community, I’m excited about it,” Blevins said of the new turf. “I’m happy to see our bond money going to something like this, something that will be used throughout the school.

“Right now everybody’s undefeated and we’re excited about what we have. We’re excited about the work the kids have put in.”