At Plant…no national names for the first time in some years. No national media hanging around the perimeter of practice waiting to see the quarterback sling the rock or Wilder lower his shoulder. The National hype may not be there, the state preseason ranking may not be that high, but the Panther mission is still the same; finish strong and play 16 games. How will the Panthers accomplish that this year with so many holes to fill? Only the Panthers know the answer, but I’ll take a guess.
Bye Bye James
It’s tough to say if James Wilder Jr. was the most dominating players in the Weiner era, but it is easy to say that his impact changed the way we looked at the Panther offense. Wilder is gone and shoes have to filled. I take that back, a void at the position has to be filled. There will not be another James Wilder Jr., but there can be another great RB and DE/OLB at Plant High. Paris Bostic and Wesley Bullock show promise. Both are 2013 kids and combined make for a highly productive combo. I’ll make an early prediction here. I think Coach Weiner will attempt to split carries with Bostic and Bullock, but the bulk of the carries will likely go to Bullock because Bostic will be a starter on defense and should get most of the inside runs. Regular season, Bullock rushes for around 700-800 yards, while Bostic goes for around 500-600 yards. Don’t forget the fact that both quarterbacks are quite athletic and can run. If my memory serves me correctly, Aaron Murray rushed for over 1000 yards as junior. I can see coach Weiner using both Few and Banks in his ground game. Plant offense rushes for over 2000 total yards in a 10 game season. Let’s see how close I get
Marve, Murray, Ely…who’s got next?
No more QB toss up at Plant. I’ll go on record saying that James Few is the guy and Aaron Banks is going to be a great change of pace. Few is sharp and can move. He won’t ever put up the numbers like the guys before him for obvious reason; he will only be a 1 year starter. But, he can put his stamp on a Plant team that has a great chance of advancing far into the playoffs and making it to the 16th game of the year. Few reminds me of Robert Marve in a way. He can run, stop on a dime and has great lateral movement. His arm strength is not at the level of Aaron Murray; however he does throw a great ball on the run like Phillip Ely. Depending on how much of the playbook Weiner opens up for Few, will determine the numbers he puts up. He can do more than get the job, he could possibly lead the Panthers to Orlando.
The Island belongs to whom?
Hillsborough High has traditional produced great running backs and Armwood, disruptive defensive lineman. Plant would be known for producing top notch quarterbacks. Coach Weiner has done a tremendous job with his signal callers, but for the number of years that there has been a D1 prospect behind center for the Panthers, there has also been a lock down corner on defense. Cornelius Gallon or Derek Winter, Javonte Martin and most recently, Eric Patterson. All have been excellent cover corners for Plant and now the Panthers must find their next set of handcuffs. Recent Georgia Tech. commit, Antonio Crawford is the likely candidate who possess the skill set and game experience. Although Crawford might be “That Guy”, Keenan Stalls will rival him for that title. Stalls is an out of state move in who has been with the Panthers throughout the spring and summer and has quickly earned the respect of his coaches and teammates. Together, Crawford and Stalls will make for a stellar corner combo.