Cary football preview

Cary Imps

Last year: 4-8 (4-3 lost to Southeast Raleigh 34-14 in the first round of the 4-A playoffs)

All-Conference players graduated: OL/DL Eloheim Palma, DB/RB/KR/SPEC Bryan Wilson

All-Conference players returning: P/K William Gilfillan (Tri-Eight Specialist of the Year), DE Fre'Shad Hunter, (honorable mention) DT Phillip Ochieng, (honorable mention) RB/LB Ralph Chapman

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If Wednesday's scrimmage was any indication of how Cary will be this year, you may be looking at the surprise team of the Tri-9. The Imps thrashed Northwood, and while there was no score being kept, it was approximately 42-7.

Last year's Cary team was more talented than given credit, but a disparaging lack of depth allowed the Imps to tire out in the fourth quarter of games. Three times, Cary blew leads held after three quarters.

Cary appears to have the numbers to keep that from happening this year. But even while coach Ben Kolstad tries to stay away from playing players on both sides of the ball this year, one Cary alum attending Wednesday's scrimmage against Northwood told me it was still happening.

Granted, that player was Lucas Edminsten, and he caught a touchdown pass and intercepted another just a few plays apart.

Cary has a stable of running backs to choose from in its wishbone option offense, starting with senior Ralph Chapman. Chapman also doubled as a linebacker last year, something Kolstad hopes he can limit so Chapman can expand on last year's 6.2 yards per carry and six TD's.

Edminsten (17.5 yards per catch in 2008) is a reliable receiver who broke his wrist mid-season last year, but quarterback was a shaky position last year and will need to get better play and a fresh start from junior Nick Lansing (25% completion rate, 77 yards, one TD in '08).

Cary had an excellent group of lineman last year, with two first-team All-Conference selections and another honorable mention. The two that graduated were a national champion in wrestling and a state champion in the shot-put, and the two that return might both be D-I players. 

 The biggest name on Cary's team is defensive end Fre'Shad Hunter. Hunter had six sacks and eight tackles for loss last year and almost matched that in the scrimmage against Northwood.

Ranked as a top-100 player nationally and choosing from schools like N.C. State, East Carolina, LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee, Hunter will be the man to watch on defense this year.

Defensive tackle Phillip Ochieng doesn't receive as much attention as Hunter, but it was Ochieng that led the team in tackles for loss with 12. Only a junior, Ochieng will benefit from the double-teams Hunter is bound to face this year.

The linebacking and secondary corps for Cary will be two areas where you may see two-way players the most. Other running backs impressed in the scrimmage, meaning that Chapman may be rested up enough to where he can see some time at linebacker. After all, Chapman was the team's second-leading tackler and leading interceptor.

Other names to remember on defense will be Tommy Robinson, Blake Beazlie, Rakeem Chambers, Josh Stewart and Gideon Akinsola — all who finished in the top 10 on the team in tackling. In all, Cary returns eight of their top 10 tacklers.

Special teams will sorely miss Bryan Wilson — who in this writer's opinion was the best special team player in the conference after returning a punt for touchdown (20.6 yard avg.), a kickoff for touchdown (24.8 yard average), and recovering two onside kicks in the same game. But then again, the player who actually won Tri-Eight Special Teams Player of the Year, junior kicker/punter Will Gillfillan. Gillfillan went 5-for-6 on field goals and landed 12 punts inside the 20.

Cary returns a great deal on defense and now has depth to back up those players. On offense, if the line can open holes for the backs, it won't matter how the quarterback does. A steady defense and a decent run game got Cary to the playoffs a year ago.

With what could be an excellent defense and dangerous run game, the Imps might do better than just playoffs this season. 

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