Three starters on offense and two on defense. That's what the Sumter High School football team has returning this season.
That being said, Gamecock head coach Paul Sorrells is optimistic about what the future holds for his squad.
"We've got a good group of kids," said Sorrells, who led SHS to a 10-3 record, a Region VI-4A title and the 4A Division I state playoffs last season. "They're working hard, making progress and getting better."
Still, there's that inexperience factor and it hasn't been helped by scrimmages being canceled due to rain and inclement weather.
"At a time when we needed to have as many scrimmages as we could get to gain experience, we missed a few because of rain and lightning," Sorrells said. "That's just a great teaching time, but there's nothing you can do about it."
On offense, Sumter's three returning starters are all on the line. There are no returning starting skill position players, the most obvious one being quarterback Stephen Curtis.
Curtis, who is now at Florida Atlantic University, threw 75 touchdown passes and for over 6,500 yards during his three years as a starter. The Gamecocks went 32-9, won two region titles and played for the 4A DI title in 2008 with him behind center.
Looking to replace Curtis behind center are a pair of seniors, Tevin McKnight and Mic Davis.
"Both of them have worked really hard and both of them do some things well," Sorrells said. "There's no doubt that they have some big shoes to fill, but we're going to try and put them in positions where they can be successful.
"We're never going to ask them to do something that they're not capable of doing. We're going to play to their strengths and stay away from their weaknesses."
The returning starters on the offensive line are Eric Moeller, Trevor Jahnke and Miles Scott. The only one who'll be returning to the same position he played last year though will be Scott at one of the guard sports. Moeller, who played center, and Jahnke, who was at guard, will hold down the tackle spots this season.
Sophomore John Dial will step into the center position with senior Raysean Golden, who had to sit out last year after transferring from Lakewood High, handling the other guard position.
"I do feel like the offensive line is one of our strengths," Sorrells said. "We have several starters coming back and we feel like we have depth on the line. We feel like we have the numbers there where people can step in and do a decent job."
