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2013 Putnam County Football Preview: Cougars hope improved chemistry will get them back on top
ROACHDALE -- The 2012 season was a disappointment for the North Putnam football team and its fans. Two years removed from an appearance in the state championship game, the Cougars began the season with an experienced, athletic roster and high expectations. NPHS struggled, finishing the season with a 3-7 record and a stack of questions.
NPHS had talent, but why didn't things come together?
After taking a step back, can the Cougars recover and get back to their elite level? Can they again become the team that had five undefeated regular seasons from 2006-2011?
Who is going to step up and be the leader and driving, winning force that was missing last season?
This year, after losing its top two quarterbacks, top three receivers and a handful of starters on defense, NPHS coach Greg Barrett thinks he's found answers.
"I think it all starts with believing and understanding that you can't just step on the field and those wins are going to come because of what has happened in the past," he said. "Every team is different. Last year, I think at times we just didn't understand that.
"We thought we were going to get wins based off of who we were. Well, it doesn't happen that way."
This training camp, and throughout the offseason, Barrett and the assistant coaches have preached family, brotherhood and taking care of teammates.
Never was this more evident than last Thursday, when the Cougars brought in a crew from the West Point United States Military Academy.
The Army officers put the Cougars through a series of grueling tasks, both physical and mental, designed to test the will of the team. The only way to succeed and finish the test was to work together; to bond and come out together on the other side of the challenge. It was a rite of passage.
"What he taught and put these guys through (Thursday) had nothing to do with football," Barrett said. "It's a long morning. There's a lot of challenges--a lot of team-building challenges--and it teaches you how to work with a guy that might not be your best friend, but he's on your team. He's part of your unit.
"'I got your back.' It was a great deal."
The players who emerged from the other side--from a day of flipping tires; doing pushups and squats; running hills and doing buddy carries; pushing themselves to their physical and mental limits--came away with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Playing as a team is a great place to restart a program with lofty goals, but it's only part of the process. It can get the Cougars going, and it can help get them over a hump down the road, but it will still take talent to win games.
Although they're extremely inexperienced at key positions, the Cougars will have plenty of that.
Leading rusher Kaleb Belcher, now a senior, will be back and is poised to carry the load on offense.
Junior Tucker Lowe, the 2013 Putnam County track champion in the 100- and 200-meter sprints, will look to pick up a bigger role as well. Lowe had just one carry and zero receptions last season but his speed and increased bulk could give the Cougars a home run threat.
Though they're primarily a rushing team, seniors Coy Flynn and Beau Green will help space the field as receivers.
All-State linebacker Grant Bryan will help lead the defense, and he's also shifted from guard to fullback on offense.
After transferring away for his junior season, senior Gabe McFadden returns to the Cougars and will begin the year as their starting quarterback, stabilizing what became a fluid position last season.
There are far more questions on defense, a unit that was outmatched in 2012. The Cougars surrendered 27.2 points per game last year, up from 12.8 in 2011 and 10.3 in 2010 when the team reached the state championship game.
NPHS knows it'll take more than just work on the field to fill the gaps on defense, and the group put in work in the offseason to try to figure it out.
The upperclassmen have taken the younger players under their wing, pushing them in the weight room, film room and around the community to be representatives of what it takes to be a Cougar.
"I'm real, real excited about this group of seniors," Barrett said. "It's a great group; a lot of leaders ... I've seen a lot of changes in a lot of kids. I don't want to name anybody because we're a team. I could give you a list of guys but I'll let that speak for itself on Friday nights."
Turns out that team-as-family approach carried over to more than just the players' on the field. Barrett said the team, of course, has lofty goals this year but he declined to share them, stating instead that "we'll kind of keep them to ourselves."
Barrett is now in the second year of his second stint with the Cougars and his track record of success is beyond reproach. Prior to last season his teams were 33-5 overall with just two regular season losses, both coming in 2009 when the team reached the sectional finals.
The Cougars have weapons and track record of success. If the inexperienced players can round into form, the team could be tough draw by the end of the season.