Coming off a 9-3 2012 season that saw the W.S. Neal Eagle football team advance to the second round of the state playoffs, the Eagles ended their spring training Saturday with the hopes of adding to their success during the 2013 season. The Eagles had 62 players on the jamboree roster this year.
“I think we had a pretty good spring,” W.S. Neal head coach Doug Hoehn said. “We got in nine days because of baseball (state playoffs). A lot of positions have some new kids that are stepping into them. Their attitudes are great and they have worked extremely hard this spring. I think this was the most physical spring than the previous two that I have had here.”
The Eagles lost 13 players from the 2012 squad. Of the 12, the Eagles are replacing quarterbacks Dylan Godwin and Christian Purvis along with the bruising running back combo of Marquese Banks and Josiah Nettles. Quinton Samuels will be the go-to running back for the Eagles as he returns for his sophomore season. Banks had over 200 carries last year and finished with over 2,000 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns. Nettles had around 100 carries and rushed for over 900 yards with 12 touchdowns. Samuels had over 60 carries and was just shy of 900 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2012.
“We have some work to do on the offensive line,” Hoehn said. “We have three kids on the offensive line that this will be their first year playing. We have a way to go there. Our quarterback position will have four or five kids competing there for that. Several of them were baseball players and they didn’t get a chance to play there this spring.
“They missed the first week and it was too late to get them started once they got back with us. At the wide receiver position, we will have several kids battling there as well.”
W.S. Neal will now go into summer workouts and will start Tuesday, May 28 after the Memorial Day holiday.