mentioned come from the 12th grade.
The Warriors’ wing T offense runs
through quarterback Dexter Walker
Jr., and lining up behind him will be
fullback Marquavious Jones while
big Ashton Grable at 6-4, 295 pounds
holds down the left tackle spot. Luke
Miskimen is another returner up front
at offensive guard who Coach Burke has
high expectations of this season.
“We’re not going to be too fancy,”
Burke said of his offense. “We want to
run the ball when we want to run it,
and throw it when we want to throw it.
It’s as simple as that. We feel like our
personnel matches really well with our
offensive scheme, so that’s what we’re
going to hang our hat on.”
All those names will be expected to
contribute defensively with Walker and
Jones holding key roles on that side as
well. Sophomore defensive end Jordan
Jackson started for Wilco as a freshman
last year, and his head coach heaped
some high praise on him.
“We expect him to be the next big
name to come out of Wilkinson County,”
Burke said.
Devinaire Samuels, just a second-year
player, will hold down one of the cornerback
spots where he lends his natural
athleticism.
“Those are the guys that are going to
make the bus move,” the Wilco head
coach said of the players mentioned.
“They’re dedicated and showing that
they’re leaders.”
It’s a good thing Burke has those
dedicated guys because not only has the
ongoing pandemic wreaked havoc with
the Warriors’ roster, it has also forced
some changes to the 2020 schedule.
Wilco has lost its Sept. 4, season opener
against Woodland High School of
Alabama and what was supposed to be
a region game against Twiggs County.
Alabama has told its schools that crossing
state lines will not be allowed, and
Twiggs, another program that has had a
rough go in recent years, is not fielding a
football team this season. With a smaller
than normal roster and the region
schedule still intact, Burke is not looking
to replace either of those contests, giving
his program just an eight-game schedule.
That means more time dedicated
to those Region 7-A Public matchups
that make up the last five weeks of the
season. Burke more than likes the new
region setup that allowed public and
private schools to part ways.
“I love it,” he said. “We don’t have all
the resources that those private schools
have. We’ve been locked in a region with
them for the past five or six years, and
that makes a difference. I feel like the
playing field is even now. We know the
teams we’re playing, and we know the
demographics are very much the same.
I’m a Wilco lifer, so we’ve been playing
these teams in our region now since I’ve
been around.”
That leads perfectly into Coach
Burke’s first goal for his team in 2020.
“Our first goal is to win the region,”
he said. “I think that’s the first step in
getting where you want to be. We feel
like we have the players to do it. Do we
have the depth? No, but that’s why we’re
really making sure our guys are conditioned
because they won’t be coming
off the field. I think that will work in our
favor because we’ll have our best players
on the field, and our best players are
those 20 we’ll have so that’s what we’re
going to go with.”
The Wilco Warriors are scheduled
to open their season at home Sept. 18
against Johnson County. Region play
begins Oct. 9, versus ACE Charter.
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PREPARATION
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