The Jackson football team took a pretty significant hit with the graduation of its top two players.
But the two-time Western Conference 4A South Division champions are weathering the losses of quarterback Andy Gay (Dartmouth) and running back Riley Carr (Air Force) all right, based on the performances of the two projected successors.
Junior-to-be quarterback Sam Brown and junior-to-be running back Traishawn Patrick have some pretty big shoes to fill.
Gay took over at quarterback early in his sophomore season.
“He helped lead the team to two state appearances and two Wesco titles,” said Jackson head coach Joel Vincent. “He meant a lot to us.”
Carr was a two-way player, who was known as one of the top linebackers in the league as well as a talented running back.
“Both his play and his leadership” will be missed, Vincent said.
Patrick looks to be the player to take over Carr’s role on offense. When Carr was sidelined with an injury, Patrick started in his place. Patrick rushed for more than 100 yards in all four games he started.
“He’s different than Riley, though he’s about just as big,” Vincent said. “He’s probably a little more shifty than Riley. He has a great ability to switch directions. He’s been blessed with great vision. He sees things unfold. … Much like Riley he possesses a great set of hands. We’ll look to get him involved in the passing game out of the backfield.”
As for Carr’s major role on defense, Vincent isn’t sure who’ll take over Carr’s position.
“It’s a good question,” Vincent said. “In the fall, we’ll be looking for someone not only to fill the spot but fill the leadership role. It’ll iron itself out once we get closer to game one.”
Patrick also plays linebacker and he’ll be joined by senior-to-be linebacker Ryan Feiock.
“It’s a good group,” Vincent said.
The secondary won’t return any starters and the defense, as a whole, won’t have a ton of experience. Three out of the four starting linebackers are gone as are two of three starters on the line.
The offense has a few more familiar faces, one of them being Brown, who started as a wide receiver as a sophomore. Brown was Gay’s backup last season.
“He’s done a lot of nice work this spring,” Vincent said. “He’s extremely smart. He’ll be a different type of quarterback than Andy was.”
At 6 feet and 185 pounds, he’s smaller than Gay, who is 6-4 and 200 pounds.
While the Timberwolves still will be a spread offensive team, Brown added a different component to the quarterback position.
“He’s a much more natural runner,” Vincent said. “I think he is just going to add an element, a new wrinkle that teams are going to have to account for. He’s as likely to run the ball as anybody back there.”
Brown has shown during June practices and at the Shoreline Scrimmage at King’s High School that he has a strong, accurate arm and possesses a good sense of time, according to Vincent.
Being a wide receiver should be an advantage for Brown.
“He’s seen defenses and coverages from that perspective,” Vincent said. “I think it helps him as a quarterback. He realizes what he see in front of him.”
Senior-to-be lineman Walker Evans anchors the offensive line and senior-to-be wide receiver John Wilke returns as one of the Wolfpack’s top targets.
Another key returner who Vincent has high expectations for is senior-to-be kicker Daniel Sullivan.
“He’s really impressive. He’ll be a big weapon,” Vincent said. “He’ll be helping us win the battle of field position.”
Jackson opens with two-time defending Wesco North champion Marysville-Pilchuck.
“We’ll find out where we’re at right away,” Vincent said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
