By Moses Leos III
A changing of the guard is in full swing this spring on the gridiron at Hays High.
With only 11 players returning from last year’s 54-man roster, Hays head coach Neal LaHue looks to the future crop of Rebels to fill the gaps.
“We graduated a lot of guys [last year],” LaHue said. “We got a great group of guys working hard [this year]. It’s their time.”
Focusing on the team’s base offensive and defensive sets was the focal point of the first few weeks of spring ball, according to LaHue. Now, he aims to increase the tempo of practices.
“We want to move around fast and try to be physical,” LaHue said. “We want to get better on our technique. Our kids are doing well at that.”
Headlining the roster transition will be finding the next starting quarterback. The charge is led by a group of three — Brayden Kent, Jacob Zamora and Cody Riley.
LaHue said Kent, Zamora and Riley are competing very well. Baseball player Trey Dickerson is also in the mix.
Assisting the Rebel offense will be several key returning starters.
Sophomore, soon to be junior running back Cody Gandy is expected to shoulder the load in the backfield. A pair of newcomers — Jackson Effiom, a transfer from Hyde Park Academy, and soon-to-be sophomore Tyrese Atwood — will assist Gandy.
On the offensive line, Texas A&M commit and senior-to-be Conner Lanfear bolsters the line, with the help of senior Mateo Mendoza.
While questions still linger on many other starting positions, what remains the same is the system LaHue employs.
“We are not putting in a new offense. [The players] know it, and we are able to expand on it more in the spring,” LaHue said. “It’s hard working kids getting after it.”
Much like their counterparts on the other side of the ball, the defense is working to fill vacant starting spots.
Linebackers Emory Cuzze and Kendall Stovall lead the Rebel defense, with lineman Johnson Elrod also returning. LaHue pointed to Coby Brown and Preston Ellis as names to watch in the coming year.
With many new faces, the defense has taken time to understand how the newer players fit in.
“It feels good coming out here and seeing how we are going to play it,” Cuzze said. “We’re feeling (out) the new defense; seeing who’s coming up from freshman and [junior varsity].”
Much like the offense, the familiarity of the system plays a big factor. Cuzze said the group is “prepared to play.”
As the spring season winds down, LaHue continues to stress progress.
“We want to keep getting better,” he said. “We should be better now than in the first week (of spring practice). I think we are.”
