Stanhope Elmore attended an OTA at Holtville on Thursday morning with Montevallo. Football coach Hunter Adams wanted to use the opportunity to rotate in as many players as possible in order to create depth and experience in the roster ahead of this season.
“It was a really great morning of work,” Adams said, about the quality of the OTA. “Coach Lee did a great job with the organization and the structure of the OTA this morning. My focus for this one’s gonna be to get a lot of young guys repetitions and a lot of time to build depth.”
With all of the shifting variables week-to-week in football – especially in Class 6A – having a fully-prepared team with lots of depth is a huge advantage for any team. Coach Adams plans to prepare as many guys as he can, regardless of grade or experience, by giving them as much as he can this summer.
“Class 6A football requires depth,” Adams said. “Week-in and week-out, you’re going to have somebody that’s not available for some reason, from injury, et cetera. And if you can build that depth during the offseason, so those guys aren’t big-eyed, aren’t uncomfortable in those live game scenarios, then you’re taking a big step forward toward solving problems before they exist.”
Adams has been very pleased with what he’s seen from his guys this summer and their performance in Thursday’s OTA was much the same. The Mustangs are well-conditioned, ready to put up the effort demanded by the coaching staff and determined to win games.
Adams specifically highlighted a handful of rising sophomores whose performances stood out to him.
“Sophomore wide receiver Jerrell Crum had a really good day,” Adams said. “(He was) super consistent, ran good routes, made some catches and some plays. Sophomore running back Jeremiah Thigpen continues, he had a really good day today. Defensively, strong safety Yhkari Jones, linebacker King Bell, defensive back J.D. Green. Today was a good day for all those guys.”
No matter the situation, this Stanhope Elmore team always relies on the leadership of their seniors and their captains, Macin James, Joidaden “Jay” Stone, Jesse Christensen and Jacob Thorpe.
“I’m really, really proud of our core leaders,” Adams said. “Macin James as the anchor of our offensive line is in unbelievable condition for a big guy, just never stops and that bleeds off into his teammates. Same thing defensively with Jay Stone, Jesse Christensen and Jacob Thorpe. Those guys don’t stop, they go to battle every snap.”
With strong leadership already established and a close-knit team, Stanhope Elmore is putting in the work to prepare the next core of leaders this summer.
