Spartans look to rebuild in the fall
By Diana Royal Staff Writer

With brand new offensive and defensive lines, how will Edmund Burke Academy fare during the 2007 football season?

Now that spring practice is complete, head coach Jeremy Blackstock says so far, so good.

At the culmination of practice, the Spartans participated in a scrimmage last Friday, facing off against John Hancock Academy of Sparta and Monroe Academy of Forsyth. They played each team in two-quarter games, tying JHA with one touchdown each and edging just ahead of Monroe, 14-12.

At the helm of the Spartans offense was sophomore quarterback Tyler Rowland, who completed 6 of 9 passes for a total of 107 yards and had 1 touchdown.

This marks Rowland's first year at the position, and Blackstock says he was very pleased with his performance.

Jeremy Hayes, who served as the Spartans' quarterback last year, will now see playing time as a running back, a decision Blackstock says Hayes was happy about. "He wanted to run the ball," Blackstock says of the junior. "He's our fastest runner, and we'll be able to utilize his skills more."

Hayes was the leading rusher for the Spartans during the scrimmage, racking up 93 yards on 13 carries while also picking up a touchdown.

The Spartans are undergoing many changes for the 2007 season, including having Blackstock as their head coach.

"Everything is different offensively and defensively," he says, adding that with any new coach come different attitudes and philosophies. "We have a long way to go … we're young and a little on the weaker side, but I was pleased with the performance (at the scrimmage). It's good going into the summer with something positive."

EBA loses seven of their players to graduation this year, which requires a completely new makeup for the offensive line. The same goes for defense, but considering the guys only had eight practices before the scrimmage, Blackstock says they seemed to have learned the plays and executed them well.

"We were limited scheme-wise in what we could do," he says, "but I was impressed at how well we played considering those road blocks."

Blackstock says the Spartans averaged roughly 7 yards per play, and that freshman Alex Sturkie led the team defensively.

The Spartans will begin summer training on June 4, where they will run and weight train four days a week until practice begins at the end of July. They will attend camp on their own turf over the summer and will scrimmage Curtis Baptist in the preseason.

Other players making up the 2007 Spartans roster include seniors Austin Matthews and Adam Oglesby, Hamp Wade, Will Edenfield, Ross Daniel, Jordan Ansley, Justin Lee and Brett Jenkins, sophomores Nathan Kittrell, Cameron Towler, Hamilton Hogan, Austin Oliver, Cole Powell, Adam Hammock, Torey Flowers and Boyd Lively and freshmen Brandon Oliver, Taylor McGraw and Jake Evans.