Lakes Football: Quarterback Cedric Dozier To Receive Fewer Snaps

Lakes senior Cedric Dozier will play several positions this year. In years past, he has played strictly at quarterback, but, in 2011, he's expected to play running back, slot receiver, special teams returner and cornerback.

As a defensive back specialist, Dozier is currently ranked 20th in the nation, according to Scout.com, and is being heavily recruited by Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, California, Colorado, LSU, Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Vanderbilt and Washington.

Initially, Dozier said he was uncertain about his hybrid role. But after continued discussions with Lakes head coach Dave Miller, Dozier is comfortable sharing snaps with his presumed successor David Wood.

Preliminary rankings put the Lancers No. 2 in the state behind the Bellevue Wolverines, the three-time returning state champions. Lakes, however, is returning more of its skilled position players and has a special surprise on defense, a Georgia transfer who Miller said will knock you out and is really fast.

Lakes was practicing at Harry Lang Stadium this week in Lakewood, and Patch local editor Marques Hunter sat down with Dozier for a little one-on-one and also asked head coach Dave Miller about the quarterback position.

Patch: What are your general feelings about the Lakes football team as you head into your final season?

Dozier: I feel very confident in this. I have a lot of trust in our guys and coaches. This year, man, nothing less than a championship. That’s it. That’s pretty much all.

Patch: There were some rumors swirling around about you and the quarterback position. Was there any validity to that position being up for grabs?

Dozier: Right now, we want to spread everything out and get our weapons out in the open. If that means me playing quarterback one play and going to wide receiver the next play then that’s what it’ll be. We want to play all our weapons. We don’t want to just limit myself or any other people to just one position.

Patch: So you may not be taking as many snaps this year?

Dozier: Probably. I probably won’t take as many as I did last year, but I’m still going to play quarterback.

Were you a little skeptical about the quarterback position early on?

Dozier: At first, I was like, move me completely out of quarterback? Naw, I’m not feeling that. But stuff changed. Me and coach Miller have a good relationship. We keep it real with each other. I can come in and talk to him and he can talk to me. I know depending on the game situation, I’m still going to be playing quarterback. I'm not going to just go out and play wide receiver. That’s not utilizing me as an athlete.

Patch: Did you ever think about playing for a different school your senior year?

Dozier: (laugh) Man, I’m a Lakes Lancer. I’m a Lakes Lancer.

Patch: You never thought about playing for Curtis or any other school?

Dozier: I’m a Lakes Lancer.

Patch: Talk to me about me about David Wood and having him as a quarterback and why defenses should still feel threatened?

Dozier: He’s been working on his accuracy. When he throws, he makes good passes. He’s improved himself at camp. Coach Miller has been sticking with him. He’s been getting a lot of snaps, back when I was like am I even playing quarterback?

Patch: What other positions are you going to play besides quarterback?

Dozier: Wide receiver, running back, wherever coach wants me to play. It’d be crazy having me play the running back position with Levonte Littlejohn and David beside both of us. It's going to be some crazy stuff.

Patch: You talked briefly about expectations. Can you elaborate?

Dozier: Nothing less than a championship. We’re not playing around. We're not trying to have any flukes. We all know what's up.

Patch: Do you feel if you played Bellevue again it'd be a different story (Lakes in the 3A state semifinal in 2010)?

Dozier: Oh yeah, but I’m not a talker. I’m just ready to play.

Patch: You’ve been going to a lot of recruitment camps. What have you learned or taken away from all these different camps and how has that helped you as a quarterback and leader for the team?

Dozier: There were NFL guys all around. A lot of them gave motivational speeches and you know you really need to pay attention to stuff like that. They were in our shoes. They told us a lot of little things make a big difference. When you play with the top 150 in the nation, the people who do the little things separate you.

Patch: Some think when you graduate you might be staying home. Any thoughts on where your going to college?

Dozier: Well home is Alabama but I don't know. I’m just praying about it. I thought I almost heard him (God) one night.

Patch: Where did he tell you to go that time?

Dozier: I’m not really saying (laugh).

Patch to Coach Miller: Cedric talked about not taking as many snaps this year because he might be playing other positions. Can you talk about that?

Miller: We plan to use Cedric as many ways as possible, so the defense can’t always target him. Sometimes when he's only playing quarterback, they put eight or nine in the box. We would like to have him as quarterback a percentage of the time, put him in the slot or put him in the backfield. We haven’t been able to use him in special teams. We want to use him as a punt and kickoff returner. We just want to get the ball in his hands in multiple ways rather than just snapping it to him.

Patch: And that leaves somebody else to play quarterback...

Miller: Well, David Wood has looked good as a thrower. I think he can do some things. David is probably a more consistent passer. He allows us to be more diverse. David is also a big guy who can run the ball through the tackles.

Patch: Give me one player on this team that most people don’t know about?

Charles Hall Jr. He transferred in from April from Hinesville, GA. He's physical. He'll knock you out. He's fast. He's a strong safety. He's a 195-pound version of (Lakes linebacker/wide receiver) Man'ne Manaea.