With only 26 varsity players on its roster, the Chatham Central football team is in for a long season of “iron man football,” according to head coach Sherman Howze.
The Bears have struggled with numbers this offseason, something Howze hasn’t had to really deal with in the past. He expects all of the players he does have to play both sides of the ball out of necessity, but the hope is that gritty mentality will serve the team well as it enters the season.
“You’ve just got to man up and be a ballplayer,” Howze said. “If we need you somewhere, you’ve gotta go there … I love the kids (we have) — they’re physical and they work hard … I can’t worry about who’s here and who’s not here.”
On offense, the Bears are planning to run a three-quarterback system that will feature seniors Hasten Paige and Brandon Toomer, along with junior River Warren. All three play other positions as well, with Toomer comfortable lining up at receiver and Warren in the backfield as a running back.
Also expected to step up offensively for Chatham Central in 2022 are junior running back Devonte Johnson and junior fullback Omar Brower. Neither player had many carries with the varsity team last season, but Howze said the pair have been running “hard as they ever have,” in practice over the past few weeks.
“We’re missing some people, but with what we’ve got, we should be competitive,” Howze said. “The main thing is, I want to play a whole season, I want to get in the playoffs, I want these guys to have fun playing. Enjoy playing football.”
One group with several returning members is Central’s offensive line, which will be led by senior captains Austin Reed and Nicolas Rinell. Reed is the team’s resident bulldozer at 6-foot-1 and 311 pounds, and he’ll contribute on the defensive side of the ball as well as a defensive tackle.
Defensively, there is plenty of room for improvement after allowing an average 33.9 points per game a season ago. The Bears finished the year on a defensive slide, as they allowed 36 or more points in each of their final four games to wrap up the season.
One newcomer expected to contribute this season defensively is junior Conner Kitchens, a transfer who will play some defensive end this season. Kitchens is one player Howze highlighted as someone who has come into practice early on with the right mentality.
“We have pieces we can put together and just enjoy the game,” Howze said. “My thing is, if you have that drive and that will, the main thing is you got to have a love for the game and you have to have a passion for it. I know I sound discouraged, but I’m not. I’m not discouraged at all about it, because what I got, I can win ball games with.”
Chatham Central has had a rough go of it in recent seasons. The Bears have won a total of seven games over the past five seasons and have an overall record of 7-40 during that stretch.
Central has not had a winning season over the past two decades. The closest the Bears came to a winning record was a 6-7 mark in 2005 that ended with a loss to Union High in the second round of the state playoffs.
The Bears will compete in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A Conference this season along with fellow county team Jordan-Matthews. Chatham Central has an overall record of 1-14 against the Jets since the start of the 2004 season.
Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.