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Chapman, at defensive end, is a versatile player, Young said. “Brook is a guy with speed and he will be stronger than most offensive linemen he will go up against. He can drop back and play linebacker and he gives us a speed rusher and is a physical kid.”
The line will feature Chapman, Tim Ballenger, Ty Campbell and Raymond Booker. Chapman is a player that gives Young opportunities to use him on both sides of the ball.
Hicks returns at linebacker after suffering a concussion during summer practice. He was cleared by a doctor to play last week at the Blue Ridge Jamboree but did not play as a precautionary measure. Hicks may be the best tackler on the team.
Johnson, a junior, played the entire 2011 season at cornerback. “He’s perfect what you want in a corner,” Young said. “Malek must have a short memory playing that position. He’s out there all by himself and that’s a challenge.” Johnson, in the last scrimmage versus Woodruff, was called for two past interference penalties that kept Woodruff’s winning drive alive. “Not all those were pass interference. We would rather have 15 yards (penalty) than a touchdown,” Young said.
Josh Cooke, a senior, is the punter. He has kicked in the 40-50 yard range. Nick Roberson has performed the placekicking duties during the summer but Tom Center, a sophomore, is also in the mix. Tyler Wright is the long snapper.
“I like to play at our place to start the season. We haven’t had a preseason event at our place and we’re ready and excited to play,” Young said.
Young said the four scrimmages with Class 4A teams (Gaffney, Byrnes, J.L. Mann and Mauldin) have prepared the Yellow Jackets for their season opener. “We’ve competed well and we had our chances in some of those scrimmages,” Young said. “We can compete with any team.”
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