3 PLAYERS TO WATCH: St. Joseph Academy pins hopes on three two-way veterans
ST. AUGUSTINE – This summer was the first full offseason St. Joseph Academy football coach Tom Dickerson had with his team.
Dickerson saw his team grow from 21 athletes to about 30 this year, which he loves. In terms of mental and skill growth, though, that all happened last year on the field.
“Watching these guys grow from that adversity and that experience to keep pushing themselves the way they are, we’re in better shape than we were,” Dickerson said.
They are stronger, have a better schedule and bigger team, he added. The Flashes are back and ready to compete after a two-win season, and Dickerson said he is excited to see the “fruits of their labor.”
Duke Ridley, Nathaniel Kes, and Clayton Kennedy are three players who have been there through the last three seasons of adversity in which the Flashes went 8-20 – and are the three players to watch for St. Joseph this year.
Duke Ridley
Ridley enters his senior year as third-year starter for the Flashes and the team leader.
He leads with his voice and by example. He is the loudest voice on the field that gets after everyone but also shows the team how it’s done.
He – along with Kes and Kennedy – is a shining example of what St. Joseph Academy stands for, Dickerson said.
Plus, Ridley, who fills the "athlete" position, is a weapon for Dickerson.
“It’ll probably be easier to tell you what position he doesn’t play,” Dickerson said. “He’s one of those guys that’s going to be all over the field. We’re going to find ways to get mismatches with him and make things happen.”
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Nathaniel Kes
Kes is practically Ridley's twin.
The fourth-year varsity player can and has played anywhere on the field for the Flashes. Dickerson plans to feature him heavily as a running back and linebacker this season.
Kes was one of the nine players that never left the field last season. He played offense, defense and special teams.
“He’s definitely going to make some plays for us,” Dickerson said.
Like Ridley, the senior is a leader of the team, a role he really stepped into last year.
Dickerson needs Kes and Ridley to lead his mostly young team. The good thing, though, is that they still have a core group of veterans who have lived through the Flashes’ adversity.
Clayton Kennedy
Kennedy is a third-year starter for the Flashes.
Dickerson said the junior is the anchor for the defensive and offensive line, playing center, tackle and guard.
“He has no stop to him whatsoever. He's 100 miles an hour wherever he’s going, whatever he’s doing.”
Dickerson will need his best effort from all of his team again – especially his top players – to take another step this year.
“Everything has been trending towards the positive,” Dickerson said. “We’ll see Friday night.”
The Flashes open their season against Cedar Creek Christian Academy at home.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: High School Football: 3 Players to Watch at St. Joseph Academy
