Stanhope Elmore has not been to the playoffs since 2020, but second-year coach Hunter Adams believes this is the team to turn the corner.
Coming off a 3-7 season during which the Mustangs were outscored by only 22 total points the entire season, Adams returns 10 starters and is looking to break into the postseason.
“I like this group,” Adams said. “I really do, and I think they have the chance to help us turn the corner. Our point differential was slim last year, which means we were in a lot of close games. We were in positions to win and couldn’t get the job done. From November to now, we’ve talked about winning critical moments. We have to do that this year.”
For Stanhope, it all starts up front. The Mustangs return four of their five starting offensive linemen from a year ago. Tyler Barrett is back at left tackle, Xavier Foxhall at left guard, Cameron Hodge at center and Macin James at right guard. At guard, Foxhall and James really shined a year ago and combined for 28 pancake blocks and only two sacks allowed.
Right tackle is up for grabs, and sophomore Tag Obenauf and junior Raul Mondragon are fighting for the spot.
“This is the best offensive line, collectively, that we’ve had since I’ve been at Stanhope in eight years,” Adams said. “They’re experienced and hard working kids. They are strong, and they play a physical brand of football. It’s also great that they’re big. Three are over 290 pounds, but they can really move around. They can play in the second level and they can get out on screens. I’m really excited about our potential there.”
Behind the offensive line is the best running back in Elmore County.
Arthur McQueen returns for his senior year after a junior campaign where he rushed for 1,420 yards in just seven games. He is joined by Darien Smoke and Dee Barnes, both of whom earned significant playing time last season.
“All three of our guys back there are physical,” Adams said. “They’re all 200-pound guys who can run and they’re weight room guys. Arthur is our bellcow and frontrunner, but the other guys can get the job done as well. They’re a good group of backs.”
There will be a new quarterback in the backfield alongside McQueen. Jacob Bryant, a three-year starter, graduated and now Zac Holcombe has stepped into that role.
Holcombe played defensive back last year but has showcased the football IQ and competitiveness Adams likes from his quarterbacks. It helps he can run, run and run some more.
Behind Holcombe is another defensive back in Kendarius Grear and freshman Brayden Smith.
“Zac is a gamer,” Adams said. “He’s a kid who handles pressure well and is really athletic. The passing game progression is a learning project for him as the season goes on, but his overall effort is going to make him successful.”
Holcombe will have an explosive wide receiver to throw to in senior Jamari Coleman, who was the top receiver last year with 17 catches for 438 yards and six touchdowns.
Opposite him will be Joey Moore, and Will Griffin has secured the tight end role.
Adams believes his team will be efficient with the ball on offense, knowing seven starters return, six of whom are on the line or in the backfield.
“You always want one side of the football to be your anchor or your center point, where you can lead on them to dictate the tone of the game,” Adams said. “With our offensive line and our running back room, we hope we can dictate the tempo with our offense. We want to force teams to play on our time schedule and not theirs.”
On the flip side of the ball, Stanhope’s experience is in the trenches.
Kam Anderson and Dezmond Barnes are both returning starters on the defensive line, and both are potential Division I players.
Anderson is being recruited by schools like Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, South Alabama, Southern Miss and Georgia State among others. He had nine tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks last year.
Barnes is also being recruited at defensive tackle by schools including Southern Miss, South Alabama, Kennesaw State and Alabama State.
They’ll be joined by Dominic Sager at defensive tackle, while Gabe Lewis and Tae Lewis are both going to make big impacts on the line.
“We’ve made our living in the trenches during my time as a coach here,” Adams said. “We’ve always been good in the box and had really good defensive lines. That will happen again this year.”
Stanhope runs a 4-2-5 defense with only two true linebackers, while the secondary has five members and a hybrid role or two.
At linebacker, Jacob Tharpe has switched sides of the ball. Tharpe was the starting tight end last season but has settled into the linebacker role. Alongside him at the other linebacker spot is Jesse Christiensen and Jacorian Smoke battling it out for the starting role.
The only true returning starter is Joidaden Carter-Stone, who plays strong safety or the STAR role, a hybrid linebacker and safety.
Adams believes Carter-Stone could be one of the best two or three safeties to come through Stanhope.
Around him, however, is a lot of youth.
Sophomore Demarrion Thomas will start one cornerback spot, while Grear starts the opposite. In the safety roles, sophomore Zach Goodson and freshman DeAndre Washington.
At the final safety spot, sophomore Kaleb Purnell is starting.
Between the six potential players, only one is a returning starter while the other five are sophomores or younger. Despite that, they all received playing time last season.
“Because of injuries last here, we had to play a ton of young kids in the secondary,” Adams said. “It was kind of a revolving door and that can cause you problems, but the flip side of that is that we have a young secondary who already has experience. Now we can put that with our impact guys up front who can cause problems with turnovers and putting people behind the chains to make life easier on defense.”
Adams also returns one of the most talented special teams players around the river region. Star soccer player Colby Beyer is going into his second year of kicking and punting for the Mustangs.
Last year, he was 36 of 37 on PATs and 4-for-6 on field goals, and he averaged 33.4 yards per punt.
“Colby is truly a blessing to our team,” Adams said. “It’s a rarity in high school to have consistent, accurate kickers who can extend points near the red zone. Those points add up and can be huge and crucial. He’s a weapon as a punter. He can flip the field and do any type of punts you want him to do. He’s an absolute advantage for us in special teams.”
In the return game, Coleman will start after he had 312 return yards last season.
