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Watauga, FCD have new coaches
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Published: August 21, 2008
Last in a series of high-school football previews
Change is the name of the game this season for Watauga, Forsyth Country Day and Thomasville.
Watauga and Forsyth Country Day have new coaches; Thomasville has Allen Brown back coaching full time, but lost star E.J. Abrams-Ward.
Tim Pruitt has taken over at Watauga, moving after five seasons at West Wilkes to replace Adrian Snow, who left for West Forsyth. Pruitt inherits a program that reached the Class 4-A semifinals the past two seasons and finished 11-4 last fall after a 36-14 loss to Mount Tabor.
The Pioneers will stay with the Spread offense, which the coaching staff learned from Appalachian State. Pruitt said it's basically the same with one exception: "We don't have an Armanti Edwards."
Pruitt's team at West Wilkes also ran a Spread formation.
"It's something people have had success with," Pruitt said. "Last year my spread at West resembled the Single Wing. It looked like it was in the ‘50s."
The Pioneers return six players on offense and five on defense but must replace star back Eric Breitenstein, who is now at Wofford. Pruitt said that senior Baine Martin, who was All-Northwestern 4-A last season at slot receiver and safety, will take over at running back.
Quarterback Devan Corum (5-10, 195) is the key to the Pioneers' season, Pruitt said. Corum replaces Adam Chiarolanzio and Blake Beason, who split time in 2007, and has quality receivers in wideout Cam Steurie (5-9, 145) and tight end Jake Wallace (6-2, 215). Steurie is the team's fastest player (4.5-second 40), Wallace was all-conference last season, and both also play defense.
Watauga's leaders on defense are cornerback Dennis Menamin (5-11, 165), linebacker Logan Smith (6-0, 175) and end Tanner Wilson (5-11).
At Forsyth Country Day, Mark Moroz replaces Rusty LaRue as head coach, but LaRue will stay with the team as offensive coordinator. Moroz, a native of Welland, Ontario, played at Wake Forest and also played in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton TigerCats. Moroz has coaching experience as a graduate assistant at Wake Forest.
"I knew football was always a part of my life. I never thought about coaching until after I left Wake and realized how important coaching was to the game," Moroz said. "I didn't realize how important the X's and O's were until I played pro ball."
The Furies, who have won two straight Carolina Piedmont Conference titles, will have only 25 players on their roster, and depth could be an issue.
The team has only two seniors who have played before -- center/defensive lineman Ross Pulliam (5-11, 235) and wide receiver/linebacker Josh Strickland (6-2, 185).
"These kids aren't getting anything out of playing other than the love of the game," Moroz said.
Thomasville finished 10-0 in the regular season (6-0 Yadkin Valley 1-A) and 11-1 overall after a 33-21 playoff loss to Jordan-Matthews in the second round.
Allen Brown missed three games while recovering from quadruple bypass surgery, and son Benjie -- a former Thomasville coach and now an elementary-school principal in Thomasville -- stepped in.
The Bulldogs will be without Abrams-Ward, now a receiver at Tennessee. Ward played quarterback last season, piled up more than 3,200 yards of offense and was an AP all-state and Shrine Bowl selection.
The new quarterback will be senior Chris Brooks (6-2, 180), and Allen Brown will switch the offense from last season's Shotgun to an I formation.
All-conference players Dajuan Ingram (6-0, 260, DE), Brandon Moss (5-11, 185, LB) and Dee Dow (5-8, 140, CB) form the core of what should be a strong defense. All are seniors.
Three other seniors -- running back/receiver Jonathan Hinson (5-10, 165), running back Brad Wilkes (6-1, 175) and wide receiver D.J. McClendon (6-2, 175) will help the offense.
"I think we're a pretty good football team," Brown said. "We're going to go out there and dig it out."
Other area teams
FINAL 2007 RECORDS
Conf. All
W L W L PF PA
Watauga 5 1 11 4 417 274
— (Northwestern 4-A)
Forsyth C.D. 5 1 6 5 241 232
— (Carolina Piedmont)
Thomasville 6 0 11 1 386 90
— (Yadkin Valley 1-A)
2007 PLAYOFFS
FCD (NCISAA): lost to Charlotte Country Day 49-0
Thomasville (1-AA): defeated South Stokes 42-0; lost to Jordan-Matthews 33-21
Watauga (4-A): defeated Alexander Central 42-14, Central Cabarrus 52-36 and Purnell Swett 25-14; lost to Mount Tabor 36-14
PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Chris Brooks (6-2, 180, Sr., Thomasville); DE Dajuan Ingram (6-0, 260, Sr., Thomasville); LB Brandon Moss (5-11, 185, Sr., Thomasville); DL Ross Pulliam (5-11, 235, Sr., C, Forsyth Country Day); LB/WR Josh Strickland (6-2, 185, Sr., Forsyth Country Day); RB Baine Martin (6-0, 195, Sr., Watauga); WR/CB Cam Steurie (5-9, 145, Sr., Watauga)
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