WS Chronicle

In above photo: Trayvez George (left) of Carver rushes the passer during a recent scrimmage against Lexington, Glenn’s Timothy Hairston (right) breaks free from East Davidson defenders for big yardage. (Photos by Craig T. Greenlee)

Coach Alonzo Winfield believes Carver will make amends for last season’s disappointing 4-6 finish.

That crew was made up mostly of freshmen.

But now, those former rookies are seasoned sophomores who have a much better handle on what it takes to win at the high school level.

Winfield isn’t talking specifics when it comes to wins and losses. Yet, it’s clear that he’s seen enough during the preseason to convince him that better days are coming.

The Yellowjackets gave a good account of themselves in scrimmages against Lexington and Reagan at the NewBridge Invitational Jamboree last week.

“There was some good and there was some bad at the Jamboree,” said Winfield. “More than anything, I was pleased that we got maximum effort from everybody. We didn’t quit and we didn’t lay down. Not only did we hustle and move well, but we showed that we really wanted to get to the ball. It’s good to know that we have a solid nucleus to build on.”

Carver has speed and quickness on both sides of the ball as usual.

The backfield is well-stocked with Keontre Meyer, T.J. Boyce and Phillip Legette.

On defense, lineman Trayvez George and cornerback Nikel Johnson are solid contributors.

It won’t take long for the Yellowjackets to get a good sense of where they are as a team. Today’s (Aug. 20) road game against powerful Greensboro Dudley (7 p. m. kickoff) should provide some answers for Winfield and his staff.

“Dudley is always tough,” he said. “We’re going to give it our very best shot and see what happens.”

Meanwhile, Glenn, under first-year head coach Stephen Herring, is looking to make some noise over the next few months.

The Bobcats have quick-strike capability with quarterback Tavis Garlington and sure-handed receiver Christen Wilson.

The Bobcats’ operate from the spread formation, and will attack in multiple ways. Glenn can control time of possession with its punishing ground game. Or, it can shift gears and go uptempo with its passing game.

“As a staff, we’re fortunate that we haven’t had to coach effort and intensity,” said Herring. “At this point in the season, you shore up some things. That’s to be expected. Once we’re able to do that, we’ll be fine. We just have to make a few tweaks and fine tune.”

Glenn expects to be disruptive with its 3-4 defense.

Tyheim Cherry, Tahliek Garnes, Alpascal Reaves and Tazmon Wilson are the leaders of a group that could prove to be one of the area’s better defenses in JV football.

“The way we line up, it’s difficult for offenses to determine who’s coming on the pass rush and who’s not,” said Herring. “The whole design on defense is based on taking full advantage of our overall speed. We have some good athletes on defense, so we draw things up which allows them to fully utilize their skills to make stops.”

The Bobcats open their season tonight with a non-conference contest at North Forsyth.

Game time is set for 7 p.m.