Kendrick eager to fill role of darkhorse in 2017

Kendrick lost three one-possession games in 2016 in what became an 0-10 season. With head coach Cedric Ware back for his third season, he and the Cherokees are confident they can turn their luck around this fall.

The tumultuous 2016 campaign was a hard pill for the Cherokees to swallow, but according to Ware, the team has delivered the appropriate response in their offseason work. Ware specifically complimented the team’s offensive and defensive line, which he made clear are two of the team’s strongest units going into the season.

Having said that, the team as a whole has impressed its head coach.

“This summer has gone extremely well for us,” Ware said. “It’s probably the best summer that we’ve had since I’ve been here. The guys are understanding the expectations. The guys who didn’t want to buy in have left. We’re young, but the young guys have a lot of energy. The coaching staff has a lot of energy right now, and the players are competing hard.”

Ware said part of the problem was getting everyone to buy into the coaching staff. He said that was clear from several situations, such as players not showing up on time for practice or slacking through the drills. Attention to detail also wreaked havoc, particularly in areas like special teams where errors can be glaring.

Junior safety and wide receiver Swann Tarver said the players decided this offseason that they have as much say as anyone in their wins and losses.

“Once we started realizing that we’re brothers and we play for the same team, everybody started putting the work in the weight room and started doing their drills right,” Tarver said. “I think everybody came a long way.”

While Ware knew his players needed to pick up the slack, that didn’t stop him and his coaches from adjusting as well.

Ware said he picked the brains of several coaches, such as Kendrick athletic director Collins Jones, former Shaw head coach Charles Flowers and former Opelika head coach Brian Blackmon. He took notes of the ideas the various coaches offered about running a program and adjusted accordingly.

By senior receiver and safety Wendell McGhee’s account, the growth from the coaches and players has the Cherokees sitting pretty for 2017.

“We’ve got the talent, we’ve got the coaches and we’ve got the enthusiasm,” McGhee said. “We’ve got all the components of a playoff team.”

Despite the losses one year ago and the departure of several contributors, Ware and his team showed no hint of it hindering their preparation for another season. With players such as linemen Michael Anthony, Michael Cohen, Ralen Robinson and Robert Hargrove, Ware was self-assured that this group can compete.

And as Tarver demonstrated, there’s no shortage of confidence among the players, either.

“I’m telling you this: We’ve got something to prove, and we’re going to show them when we go 1-0,” Tarver said. “We’re going 1-0 against Northside. When we do that, I don’t want to hear about people trying to jump onto our bandwagon. Stay where you were when you were counting us out.”

2017 Schedule

Aug. 18 - vs Northside (Kinnett Stadium)

Aug. 26 - vs Troup (Kinnett Stadium)

Sept. 1 - vs Shaw (Kinnett Stadium)

Sept. 8 - vs Spencer (Memorial Stadium)

Sept. 15 - BYE WEEK

Sept. 22 - at Central (Macon) (Henderson Stadium)

Sept. 29 - vs Rutland (Memorial Stadium)

Oct. 6 - BYE WEEK

Oct. 12 - vs Pike County (Memorial Stadium)

Oct. 20 - at Peach County

Oct. 27 - at Jackson

Nov. 2 - at Westside (Macon) (Ed Defore Stadium)

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Kendrick eager to fill role of darkhorse in 2017."