2022 H.S. football preview -- East Carter: Raiders back at it after historic 2021

Aug. 19—It's been an exhilarating offseason in Grayson, but after reaching historic success last year, what will the East Carter encore look like when the team takes the field in 2022?

The Raiders played in their first-ever state semifinal game against powerhouse Belfry last November. The moment was even more magical because East Carter got to share it with its fans on its home field.

East Carter returns a roster with upperclassmen, but several players have not spent an exorbitant amount of time under the Friday night lights.

They have put in work during the offseason because they want to keep the program ascension intact.

"We're not a young team," Raiders coach Tim Champlin said. "We have a bunch of juniors and seniors playing, but they are very inexperienced right now. They've had a lot of JV time and played some good varsity minutes. They know the playbook; it's just getting them the reps on Friday night.

"I think we will be fine. We have a chance to be a good football team again this year."

The Raiders will only see Steve Womack Field the same number of times this regular season as they did during the playoff run last year.

As East Carter navigated to 11 wins in 2021, Champlin felt the Raiders handled any adversity that came their way and would not let it derail their season.

"Last year during the Montgomery County game, we fumbled the ball five times," Champlin said. "Going into Week 4, we had 15 fumbles and around five turnovers a game. You saw that team face those adverse situations and not get down. They weren't blaming each other. They had to find a way to figure it out.

"Same with this year's team," he added. "It's a game of emotions. You have to be able to handle the low moments as well as the high moments. Hopefully, we learned from those experiences last year and can build off them."

The Raiders will have to overcome the loss of Large School All-Area Player of the Year Charlie Terry. He rushed for 1,959 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Kanyon Kozee and Nikk Barnett also were major contributors on the ground. The duo combined to collect 763 yards and 10 scores.

Champlin has several players anxious to fill a backfield role. Isaac Boggs is East Carter's leading returning rusher with 355 yards. He scored once last year, and his coach will be looking for more.

Braiden Bellew and Bryer Holbrook will carry the football and have performed well in the offseason.

"Success breeds success," Champlin said. "Our young kids saw the success that we had last year, and we were able to knock down some top-tier teams. Our young kids have taken hold of that. They are going to continue with that same work ethic and hopefully have the same results."

Eli Estepp returns to East Carter. The senior quarterback played football in Grayson until he transferred to rival West Carter two years ago. He will be competing with sophomore Quentin Johnson for the job under center.

"There's a lot more in the shotgun," Estepp said about the Raiders offense, "and that's what I like."

East Carter brings back a solid receiving unit with Gabe Roberts, Mikey Hall and Evan Goodman. Cason Adams and Rylan Yoak also offer more options in the passing game at tight end.

Boggs is a quality receiver out of the backfield. The senior caught 25 balls for 376 yards last year and found paydirt twice. Hall tallied 10 receptions a season ago.

The Raiders lost four players up front to graduation but return Izack Messer, who will anchor the offensive line. Ashton Moore, Hunter Kees, Allen Cooper, Luke Thompson, Braden Reed and Connor Skaggs will give East Carter several strong choices at the position.

Several players will compete both ways. Yoak led the Raiders with 95 tackles in his first varsity season. Now a senior, he made the most of his newfound playing time and looks to improve in his final season in a Raiders uniform.

"During my sophomore year, I didn't have much confidence in myself," Yoak said. "Before my junior year, I got in the gym. I got bigger and stronger. I worked harder during practice."

East Carter will be more experienced defensively. Boggs, Holbrook and Dustin Hall will join Yoak at linebacker. Boggs tallied 68 tackles last season.

Messer also grabbed 62 tackles, along with four sacks. Adams returns on the defensive line. The other spots will be filled by a platoon of players from the offensive line. Champlin included Jackson Boggs among those who will see playing time.

Goodman, Roberts, Mikey Hall and Jared Potter will comprise the defensive backs.