Tharptown's coach pleased with Wildcats' progress in spring football practice

By Staff
Scot Beard
THARPTOWN – The Tharptown football team began preparations for its second season in region play Monday and coach Barry Laster likes what he has seen so far this week.
The Wildcats, which started last season against the top opponents in Class 1A, Region 8, struggled early but started playing better down the stretch.
"Everything is moving along," Laster said. "We are picking up where we left off."
Tharptown lost several key seniors from last year's squad including offensive lineman Daniel Smith and linebacker Zack Sockwell. The secondary also took a hit with the loss of cornerback Carlos Valdez.
Despite the losses, Laster remains optimistic about the Wildcats' chances next season.
"Our biggest loss was on the offensive line," Laster said. "But we have six offensive starters coming back and five of our defensive starters will return."
Laster said the coaching staff was working with the linemen to try and develop some depth.
Tharptown has revamped its offense and Laster said the players are responding well. The coaching staff has been able to implement new things quicker than they thought they would.
Brandon Cothrum will assume quarterbacking duties and has shown quite a bit of progress since the fall. The backfield will also contain the bruising combination of Trevor Hallmark and Nathan Gray as running backs.
The running backs were so excited to get in pads Laster had to pull them aside to get them to ease up during practice.
"I had to tell them to cool off so they wouldn't scare away the new players," Laster said.
In addition to the strong backfield, Tharptown will also feature a talented receiving corps in Manny Ricardo and newcomers Devin Lawson, Timothy Bryant and Blake McGee.
Perhaps the best sign for the young program is the player's willingness to learn and work hard.
"The kids are excited and the coaches are excited," Laster said. "The kids work hard. They lift weights during seventh period then come out here and practice."
The Wildcats will get the chance to show off their new offense Friday when they host Brilliant in the spring jamboree game. The game begins at 6 p.m. with two quarters of junior high action followed by four quarters of varsity play.