The 2022-23 DCHS Tiger Football season is nearly upon us and the team has been working hard to ready themselves for play. Players have been braving the heat and humidity on the practice field, and with a required “dead period” will back at it this week.
“The summer program, in the month of June, went pretty well,” Head Tiger Football Coach Steve Trapp told the Smithville Review. “We had guys out there at 8:00 in the morning getting a lot of work and reps in.”
Coach Trapp said that the team has looked good during practice and during matchups with other teams. “In the last week of June and first week of July, we were in our dead period, but before we did three 7 on 7s, and we took our Junior Varsity guys to Shelbyville for one day, where they won four games and tied two. They did a really good job and were competing against A, AA, and AAA schools, not the other team’s JV squad. I was really proud of them.”
“We also took our Varsity Squad to Shelbyville the next day and they didn’t lose a game either, winning four games and tying two,” Trapp said. “I think we had a very productive June, and when we come back in July we have a few more 7 on 7s, one at Cookeville High School. Then, we’re going to be doing a two and a half day FCA camp at Tennessee Tech. That will include some 7 on 7s, some linemen challenges, and things like that.”
“That’s something we haven’t been able to do, especially the last couple of years with COVID. One of the biggest things for this team has been getting them bonded together and getting them all in. We’ll see if this overnight camp will help.”
According to Coach Trapp, the team is showing to real potential and looks ready to play in the new season. “I’m really proud at how the team has worked. I think we have a quality football team. We have a very busy three weeks in July and we’ll be kicking off that first game before you know it.”
The team’s first regular game will be at home against Warren County, and Coach Trapp said that the team has some good experienced players returning this year. “We’ve got 12 seniors with a majority of guys that’s been there throughout. It’s one of the bigger senior groups I’ve had in the last handful of years. A lot of those guys will be out of the field producing for us.”
“The junior group coming in this year, meshes with the seniors very well,” Trapp continued. “The Junior/Senior classes have stuck with football. When they were in seventh and eighth grade they never lost a game, and now here they are as juniors and seniors. I really expect good things from them.”
Coach Trapp said that Briz Trapp is back at quarterback and that he has really physically matured. “He was a sophomore last year and it’s a natural progression, but it’s hard to explain all the little nicks and injuries he’s dealt with, starting all the way back in June, coming off of surgery and the accident he had last year during pregame warmups. His arm basically went numb with some kind of nerve strain.”
“He’s now had an off season where he’s not been injured and banged up, and he’s done really well. The guys around him have also done really well. We have a very productive spring scrimmage against Shelbyville. Everything has been good up until this point, but we don’t want to be good, we want to be great,” Trapp said.
As far as size, Trapp said the lines are looking good. “Both our tackles are 6’5”. Shadie Rankhorn is 6’5”, 300 pounds and moves like a cat. He’s had a very good off season. Wil Farris is a junior but he’s 6’5”, 250 pounds. Both of them are going to make hay on the defensive line. Ean Jones is back, so we have three of our five returning on line back. He plays center and is 6’2”, 245, and received an offer to play football from Maryville College before dead period.”
“Our two guard positions are what we are looking at,” Trapp continued. “We’ve got Chris Pulley working there, Aaron Hatfield, and Cripps, so there’s going to be some competition to fill those two spots. We do have some bodies that can do that job. They just have to prove they want it bad enough.”
Last year’s star in the running game will also be back this year. “Colby Barnes will be back running the ball,” Trapp said. “He’s a four-year starter, and he’s a bruiser. If he gets open you won’t catch him. We’ll definitely utilize the run game with him and the three guys we’ve got coming back on our offensive line. The run game with Briz is something we didn’t do last year, but it’s something we feel like we may be able to do this year.”
The receiving corps will also return this year with the exception of last year’s star player. “We also have three of our four receivers back,” Coach Trapp said. “Isaac Knowles stole the show last year, and rightfully so, but as a group we have the opportunity to do some damage in the air this year.”
“Our defense looked really good this year against Shelbyville,” Trapp continued. “I think they had 30 plays and maybe made 25 or 30 yards on them. We also had four turnovers in those 30 plays, so guys are flying around. Up front, we’ve got a deep rotation on the line. Our line backing corps, we don’t have a lot of bodies, but the guys out there are quality guys. Josh May is back, a four-year-starter. Ari White is our middle linebacker after playing nose guard last year. He’s just such a good football player, we had to find a spot for him.”
“Our secondary was the spot that got hit the most,” trap explained. “John Ellis is the only one returning. There will be Holden Trapp, Trace Hamilton, Austin Nicholson, Ty Webb and Jonathon Garcia. We have a lot of guys with a lot of reps, so we’re looking solid on the back end also.”
To round off the team, the Special Teams squad is looking good this year as well. “On special teams, we’ve got Axel Aranda back. He did the kickoffs and got some extra points for us. There’s going to be some competition for that kicking role. We’ve got Juan Ortega, the main running man for the Saints last year, but he’s got a good foot on him too. He was out there early every morning, kicking. We like how he works at it. Nolan Gottlied is back on his third year of punting. Our long snappers are back, so on Special Teams we’ve got quality guys there.”
The Tigers returns to practice on July 11, and will be in full pads on July 25. They will play a fall scrimmage game at Gordonsville on July 29.
