McDowell lineman Ishman Martino, left, wide receiver Tyler Banks, center, and offensive lineman Isaiah Burch are returning seniors for the Titans.
MARION – Change is the only constant at McDowell right now.
The Titans’ final season in the Mountain Athletic Conference is their first under a new coach. And since Andy Morgan came on board in March, some long-needed repairs and updates to the school’s stadium have been completed.
Morgan wants to fill that stadium with a winning team and is off to an encouraging start.
“We never dropped below 70 kids for workouts in the spring and we haven’t dropped below it this summer. It’s really been a pleasant surprise,” Morgan said.
“Having a new coach come in so late is never easy, but the attitude from the kids has been great. They’re starting to believe in the weight room and you can see them get better every day. They’re eager to do things right.”
Morgan is a 1993 Franklin graduate who began his coaching career at McDowell 18 years ago. He had been a teacher and coach at Roberson since 2005 prior to landing his first job as a head coach.
Morgan and his family have been in the process of moving to McDowell County this summer, all while he tries to plant some football roots as well.
The Titans return 13 starters (seven offense, six defense), a group which includes the rushing tandem of Terrion Camp (782 yards, three touchdowns in 2015) and Matthew Moss (702 yards, five touchdowns). Both backs averaged over five yards per carry in 2015.
They’ll be getting their handoffs from a new quarterback. Last year’s JV starter, Ben Ballew, and Tyler Banks are part of a four-man group fighting it out for the spot.
Banks (26 receptions for 382 yards and three touchdowns) and Justice (23 receptions for 252 yards and one touchdown) ranked second and third, respectively, among McDowell receivers a year ago.
The team has the potential to be “ginormous” up front, Morgan said. Tre Spearman is listed at 6-foot-6, 270 pounds and Isaiah Burch is 6-5 and 285 pounds.
The latest NCHSAA realignment was finalized in April. Starting with the 2017-18 school year, the Titans will be part of a split 3-A/4-A conference that includes Alexander Central, Hickory, Morganton Freedom, South Caldwell, St. Stephens, Watauga and West Caldwell.
Note: The Citizen-Times will publish its annual Western North Carolina football preview in the Aug. 14 print edition. A complete preview of McDowell will be available then.
More on this story to come….
Follow the HS Huddle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hshuddle, Twitter at www.twitter.com/acthshuddle or Instagram at www.instagram.com/high_school_huddle