Benjie Brown has a wry smile on his face, that knowing recognition that he has heard this before. Many times.
And he’ll probably keep on hearing it.
Despite the fact that Thomasville lost Trevan Davis, his 2,556 yards and 38 touchdowns and nine starters on defense, the Bulldogs are rated a top contender for a state championship.
The Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 in the state among 1-A teams in one prominent high school poll.
“You’re kidding me ... oh my,” Brown said.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 10-3 season in which they won their eighth straight conference championship and are 22-4 in two years under Brown.
Brown has a standard statement he gives regarding Thomasville’s chances to win a state championship.
“It hasn’t changed,” Brown said. “You’ve got to be good, lucky and healthy. All of these things have got to take place.”
Last year, the Bulldogs were unlucky in drawing eventual state 1-AA champion and Yadkin Valley Conference rival Albemarle in the second round. Albemarle came from behind for a 43-35 win.
The Bulldogs who wear blue went on to crush their remaining playoff opponents culminating in a 66-28 rout of Wallace-Rose Hill in the title game as T.A. McLendon romped for seven touchdowns. Thomasville fans probably envisioned Davis doing the same thing.
Thomasville has a storied football history, winning three state championships under Allen Brown, Benjie Brown’s father. The Bulldogs have also won 49 consecutive conference games, a streak dating back to 1993.
The Bulldogs have a big intangible on their side when they run out on the field wearing the red and white.
But the Bulldogs have yet to win a state championship after dropping to 1-A in 1997, illustrating Brown’s comment about the elements needed to win a title.
Now it’s 2002 and the path to December’s title game is about to begin. Once again, many people think the Bulldogs can get there.
“I think it’s flattering that they think so highly of our team,” Brown said. “But no one has seen us play. We’ve got a lot of work to do until we can be the second ranked team in the state.”
Not to mention a tough non-conference schedule.
Before they go after their ninth straight conference championship, the Bulldogs face a murderer’s row of three straight 2-A opponents. It starts with Cummings, the state’s No. 1 2-A team. Then comes archrival Lexington, which may have its best team ever, and finally 10th ranked Reidsville.
“It’s a heck of a schedule,” Brown said. “We’ll be lucky to win one much less all three. It’s going to be a big challenge to our kids.”
The Bulldogs went 1-2 against the trio last year, losing to Cummings and Reidsville.
Brown expects Albemarle, West Davidson and Jordan-Matthews to provide the toughest YVC competition.
“But I think the league as a whole has gotten much better,” Brown said.
While the Bulldogs did lose a lot of other key players, they have a deep and talented team returning, which is why they have such a high ranking.
It all starts with senior quarterback Alan Jefferies (5-10, 180). A three-year starter, Jefferies has a strong arm and is a legitimate running threat. Jefferies passed for 1,032 yards and six touchdowns a year ago while rushing for 215 yards and four touchdowns.
“Alan is a very good leader,” Brown said. “He can do a lot of things. He understands what we’re trying to do on offense. He makes good decisions and he does a good job of taking care of the football on our more high risk plays.”
The Bulldogs are an option team, which requires the quarterback to make reads and quick decisions on the fly. Backing up Jefferies is junior Bryan Shore (6-0, 160). Shore, who is playing football for the first time, will also see action at wide receiver.
In an effort to get more skill athletes on the field, Brown is installing the wishbone. Lining up behind Jefferies is sophomore Zeke Clark (6-0, 197), a transfer from Andrews.
“Zeke Clark is a physical inside runner,” Brown said. “He presents defenses with a legitimate threat who can go all the way from the inside.”
That should help open the field for junior halfbacks Marquis Camp (5-8, 165) and Patrick Henderson (5-10, 165). Both saw sizable action last year. Camp showed flashes of brilliance before being felled by injuries, rushing for 286 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 8.9 yards a carry. Henderson mostly played defense last year but quickly showed his skills at running back in a scrimmage against West Rowan.
“We may have as good a group of running backs as we’ve ever had,” Brown said. “They’re not 200 pound backs but they can get out in the open.”
Another running back who will figure in the rotation is junior fullback Frank Cabrera (5-10, 165). Cabrera will be used mostly to spell Clark. To further complicate things for defenses and get the running backs out on the perimeter, Brown will occasionally employ a one-back wing-T set.
The Bulldogs rushed for nearly 4,000 yards last year behind what Brown felt was an inexperienced offensive line. That offensive line now boasts four returning starters including two all-conference selections in seniors Clayton Trivett (6-6, 285) and Nick Sweitzer (6-0, 200). Trivett, a major college prospect, is moving from center to left tackle.
“He is doing a good job,” Brown said. “That is an important position in our offense and Clayton has made a good transition.”
Nick Sweitzer will again start at left guard and his brother Josh Sweitzer, a 6-2, 225-pound junior, returns at right guard. Ian Raulston, a 5-10, 210-pound senior, is back at right tackle. The center position is up for grabs between juniors Cord Ivory (5-9, 212) and Jeremy Green (6-2, 264). Seniors John Baken (6-1, 260) and Kris McCrosky (6-0, 235) provide some depth.
Overall, Brown is pleased with the quality and depth of his offensive line.
“I think these guys all have a chance to be really successful,” Brown said.
The tight end is junior Adam Oakley (6-2, 177). A three-sport athlete, Oakley has already shown promise in being a threat as a receiver. While the Bulldogs are inexperienced at wide receiver, Brown has several players he believes will do well at the position. Included in the wide receiver mix are sophomore Benji Harris (5-8, 140), junior Quan Sanders (5-7, 140), junior Brandon Thorne (5-9, 160) and Shore. Henderson could also line up as a wideout depending on the set. Harris, who has been slowed by injuries, could see time at running back as well.
The Bulldogs will be young on defense. Brown started six sophomores in the West Rowan scrimmage.
With so many new players and considering his needs, Brown doesn’t look at the team as having 11 traditional starters.
“It’s more like we have 15 or 16 starters,” Brown said.
Leading the defensive line is senior Brandon Setzer (6-6, 275), a major college prospect who has already been offered a scholarship by East Carolina.
“Brandon has a lot of athletic ability and we’ll be counting on him,” Brown said.
Another mainstay is senior nose guard Edwin Soto (6-0, 232). But Soto has been slowed by a knee injury.
There will be a lot of young faces joining them on the line, including junior Joey Taylor (6-2, 204), junior A.J. Banks (6-4, 214) and sophomore Aundra Belle (5-9, 181). Also in the mix is junior Terronza Stephenson (6-1, 200).
Taylor and Banks excelled in the West Rowan scrimmage.
“The athletic ability is there,” Brown said. “It’s a matter of all these guys working on technique and getting better.”
Tyler Tobin, a 5-10, 185-pound senior, leads the linebacking corps though he was forced to miss the scrimmages due to a severe ankle sprain. Joining Tobin is promising newcomer Jaz Tate, a 5-10, 180-pound sophomore. Tate turned in an impressive performance in the West Rowan scrimmage.
“I think Jaz is going to be a good linebacker,” Brown said.
Yet another solid new varsity linebacker is sophomore Ricky Hunsucker (5-11, 175), who was a junior varsity standout last year. Hunsucker, who could also be used as a running back, recovered a fumble against West Rowan and was in on several tackles.
The most experienced returning member of the secondary is junior Davon Goree (5-8, 145).
“Davon was kind of a fifth starter for us last year,” Brown said. “He’s small but he’s quick and has good athletic ability.”
Junior P.J. Lewis (5-7, 165) and Henderson will see time at the other cornerback position. The starting free safety is sophomore Tavaris Henderson (5-7, 150) while junior David Curlee (6-1, 175) has some experience at the position. Andrew Watkins, a 5-10, 155-pound junior, is the strong safety.
Brown has been pleased so far with the play of the secondary.
“We’re excited about the ability of our players,” Brown said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do but we’re off to a good start, I think.”
The Bulldogs will have a new place-kicker and punter. Last year, Brown used a trio of senior soccer players who had never played football. Junior Chris Lee, a 6-0, 170-pound soccer player, will handle all the place-kicking duties and Brown has confidence in him.
“He has come in and done a very good job for us,” Brown said. “He’s a junior, so we’ve got him for two years. If it came down to kicking a field goal, I wouldn’t hesitate to send him out there.”
Hunsucker will handle the punting.
Thomasville opens its season tomorrow night at Cushwa Stadium against Cummings.
SCHEDULE
Aug. 24.............CUMMINGS
Aug. 30.............LEXINGTON
Sept. 6..............at Reidsville
Sept. 13............at Chatham Central*
Sept. 20............Open
Sept. 27...........JORDAN-MATTHEWS*
Oct. 4................at South Stanly*
Oct. 11..............NORTH MOORE*
Oct. 18..............at East Montgomery*
Oct. 25..............WEST DAVIDSON*
Nov. 1...............at South Davidson*
Nov. 8...............ALBEMARLE*
*denotes conference game
CAPS - home game
ABOVE:Thomasville head coach Benjie Brown
BELOW: This veteran group of offensive linemen will lead the way for Thomasville’s powerful running attack. Kneeling from left to right are senior Ian Raulston, junior Tyler Sanders, junior Adam Oakley and senior Nick Sweitzer. In the back row from left to right are junior Jeremy Green, junior Cory Ivory, senior John Baken, junior Josh Sweitzer and senior Clayton Trivett. (TIMES Photo/Mike Adams)
