Published: May 19, 2008 10:21 pm            

‘Dogs led by stout defense

Walker pleased with teams defensive play

It’s not uncommon for defenses to have the early edge in preseason practices. That notion was certainly made true as the Edmond Memorial squad hit the field for their annual spring sessions this week.

“I’m excited about how the defense is responding, and I think we have some good young guys filling in spots,” Memorial coach Mark Walker said. “Defensively you can just say hey, go sick ‘em, as opposed to learning an offensive scheme. Our biggest thing is if our kids understand our base defense.”

Part may be due to the lack of repetitions on the offensive side of the ball, while the rest should be chalked up to the ‘Dogs talented defensive unit led by linebacker Anthony Morales. The senior, who was the 2007 Edmond Co-Defensive Player of the Year, is looking for the ‘Dogs to build off last season’s playoff berth.

“It took a long time to get to that goal, now that we’re there we can strive further and actually win in the playoffs,” Morales said.

The ‘Dogs senior will stay busy this year, spending time at linebacker and in the ground game. He gradually saw his carries increase at the end of last season, and finished the year with 268 yards and nine score on 61 carries.

The ‘Dogs lost several key players last season, and Walker hopes to solidify many of those spots this spring.

“We’re making sure we’re getting the foundation down with our base offense,” Walker said. “When we got to two a days and camp we want to have it ready.”

The biggest need may be on the offensive line, where Memorial will have five new starters this fall. Assistant head coach Tom Ward said the team has about 10 players vying for starting spots, including seniors David Strawn, Jordan Howlett, Mason Halcomb and David Baldwin, who saw limited action on the offensive line last year.

Memorial will also need some players to step up at the skill positions. The team will have to replace two-year starting quarterback Pete Towne. The ‘Dogs have a three-way battle for the starting quarterback spot with Blake Umberham, Cole Darnell and Matt Robertson all fighting for position.

“I think it’s pretty even, we’re giving each guy an equal amount of looks, and see who does well,” Ward said.

The ‘Dogs also lost some talented receivers in David James and Kendric Green. They will look to tight end Taylor Whiteside, a returning starter and receivers Delias Ealom, Jordan "Chewski" Marczewski, Nelson Medeiros to pick up the slack.

Memorial will also have several options at running back with Jermaine Mowarin, D’Jaun Brooks, Shandrell Henderson, Cale Olbert and Shandrell Henderson all fighting for position this spring.

Memorial will continue practices this week, and wrap up the spring session with an intersquad scrimmage on May 23. The ‘Dogs JV team will head to team camp on June 4-6, and the varsity squad will take part in a team camp in Muskogee on Jun 26-28.

        

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