Kendrick more experienced, forgetting about last season

There were some growing pains for Kendrick in its first year under coach Cedric Ware last season. After having one of the better three-season stretches in the program’s recent history from 2012-14, the team slipped to 3-7 last year.

But some of the weaknesses that team had are slowly changing into strengths: The inexerpience, the commitment, the discipline.

There are still plenty of uphill battles this team faces to finding success in the win-loss column, but Ware thinks the Cherokees are much closer to begin this season than they were a year ago.

Offense

The offense was especially young last year, starting with a freshman quarterback in Swann Tarver, who was injured in the very first game of the season. Tarver has re-earned the starting job, and Ware said that he has a year of learning under his belt, even though he missed time on the field.

At running back last year, the team featured a couple young running backs, who will both be juniors this year. Adayus Robertson rushed for 811 yards and five touchdowns in six games as a sophomore last season. Kayleem Bonds, stood out in the spring and will also be a running threat as a junior this year.

Add those more experienced pieces with an offensive line that features a handful of seniors and juniors and a speedy senior wide receiver in JeMarious Holloway, and the offense looks much more capable to begin this season than it did a year ago.

Ware said that all starts with the players’ discipline and their desire to improve.

“Our strength right now throughout the summer has been establishing discipline,” he said. “I feel like from last year to this year, we’ve established discipline. The guys have a lot of integrity. They’re committed, and the effort and enthusiasm has impacted our team a lot. That has come from senior leadership and our coaches.”

Defense

The defense, while not totally a strength last year when it gave up an average of 33.5 points per game, did have a handful of capable players. A number of those will return to the unit this year.

It begins with senior linebacker Isaiah Sellers, who recorded 79 tackles, nine for loss, and three sacks at linebacker a year ago. Safety Cincere Sellers, who had 44 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions, is also back.

Guys like linebacker Javier Turner, defensive linemen Stephen Cooper, Jaquan Langley and Keevon Peterson have also come on as impact players throughout the spring and summer, Ware said.

He added that it was impossible to note which side of the ball was ahead of the other at this team, though. Some days it’s the defense, while others is the offense.

“We’ve got great competition right now,” he said.

Overall

That competition is what makes him see brighter days ahead for the Cherokees. The toughest thing in doing that, he said, was forgetting about the past and moving forward.

“You can’t focus on your weaknesses,” he said. “You’ve got to focus on your strengths and get better.”

But he has seen players buying in to the process and being willing to do what it takes to become a winning program.

“I think they’ve bought in,” he said. “The process of becoming winners in life and in the game is no different. Just the process. That’s the expectation for myself and the coaching staff: To raise better young men and the wins will take care of themselves.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Kendrick more experienced, forgetting about last season."