By Chris Parker
Logan-Rogersville football has finished at or above .500 in each of the past three seasons. A big driver behind that success was a strong Class of 2022 that featured eight all-conference players.
“Our graduating class of 2023 was a group of young men that won 19 games over a three-year span of time for the Wildcats. That group went from being the exciting sophomore contributors to the senior leaders,” Rogersville head coach Mark Talbert said. “Our program was left a better place by that group of young men. Their brotherhood mentality led to a very tight-knit locker room. That group cared about each other and the future of our program. I’d say their legacy will be seen in the years to come. They were always eager to invest in our middle school and youth programs. Helping to mentor those young Wildcats and bring them up.”
Only three offensive starters return, but they are a quality group led by quarterback Thessen Prenger. Prenger threw for 1,320 yards and 10 touchdowns on 85 completions as a junior.
“Thessen’s decision making and timing have improved so much this summer. He is very consistently putting the ball in the right spot and delivering it on time. His commitment to making the right play, not the big play, has put him into a different level of conversation for quarterback this summer. Thessen can make any throw on the field. His arm strength and quick release are absolutely his best assets. There were no concerns during the summer at 7-on-7 as to whether he would be able to make the throw,” Talbert said. “My expectations of Thessen are for him to protect the football, make the right play, and deliver the ball on time. That is what he has been doing all summer and I don’t see anything changing that mindset. I believe when he is in that mindset, we will be a very dangerous offense.”
The backfield will have a new look after Rogersville graduated their two leading rushers. Kolbey Ballowe, Jacob Shinkarevich and Kadin Agee will handle the running back duties this year.
“These three have all shown potential to be strong candidates for this position,” Talbert said. “Kolbey Ballowe has been very impressive this summer and made his presence known at the Evangel Camp. All of these players also play on the defensive side of the ball so we will look to share the role on the offensive side to keep players fresh.”
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Cameron Wray, Carter Athen, Blake Tracy and AJ Muncy will handle the receiving duties. Wray led that group with 13 catches for 247 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Second-team all-conference tight end Brady Buckman is the team’s top returning receiver. He caught 21 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown last season.
“Brady’s size and physical strength make him a handful for edge defenders. When he puts his hand in the ground at tight end, it is very much like having another offensive tackle. He has really improved his blocking ability this year and it gives us an advantage in the running game. He has tremendous hands as well which makes him a well-rounded tight end threat. He will see an increased role in our boot concepts as we look for ways to get him the ball in the open field,” Talbert said. “I don’t know that there is a ceiling for Brady in his senior year. One of the challenges that he will face is playing on both sides of the ball. His impact on the game offensively is tremendous but we cannot afford to have him off the field defensively.”
The offensive line will feature a combination of Lucas Parris, Will Stone, Brayden Kent, Cameron Nuckolls, Vance Nally, Damari Barr, Jack Norris and Landis Carr.
Defensively, seven starters return for Rogersville including three all-conference linebackers. That trio includes Ballowe, Shinkarevich and Athen.
“Adding Brady Buckman into this group this year, it will be a very solid linebacker unit,” Talbert said. “They all have their role on our defense. They are the most physical group of players that I have had come through LR. Having players like this at a linebacker will give us a real chance to slow down the running game of these run heavy Big 8 programs.”
Shinkarevich led Rogersville’s defense with 121 total tackles last season. He also had eight tackles for a loss.
“Jacob was long and lean last year. He relied heavily on his instincts and his athletic ability. He always seems to find his way to the football,” Talbert said. “Jacob found success as a sophomore because of those things but also benefitted from Caleb Cole at linebacker with him last year. Teams obsessed over getting Caleb blocked and that allowed Jacob to take advantage. He will be well known this year when we play opponents.”
Ballowe pulled down 79 total tackles with a team-high 13 tackles for a loss.
“Kolbey’s size and power is very impressive,” Talbert said. “He has developed himself in the weight room and is one of the stronger players in the program. Kolbey will take on a slightly different role this year with a move to inside linebacker. I look for some of his tackle totals to climb since other teams will not be able to simply run away from his side.”
Athen contributed 59 total tackles with two interceptions, three sacks and nine tackles for a loss.
“Carter is extremely long at outside linebacker. This allows him to take some chances, or perhaps play something a little bit differently than a shorter player at his position,” Talbert said. “He can cover so much ground quickly. His long frame gets into passing lanes and he can play the ball in the air very well.”
Agee will also see time at linebacker.
The defensive line will feature Tucker Verfurth, Brayden Kent, Lucas Parris, Damari Barr, Landis Carr, Cameron Nuckolls, Vance Nally and Lane Helmig.
Wray will anchor the secondary after pulling down four interceptions and 73 tackles last season.
“Cameron has great speed. Combine that (speed) with his high intelligence and playmaking ability, it is the total package at free safety. He has worked on his speed this off-season that has allowed him to make some plays this summer up the sideline from the middle of the field. He is a special talent at this position and will have a great year,” Talbert said. “Cameron’s aggressive mentality must affect offensive coordinators thoughts about trying to attack the middle of our defense. Last year, we saw a lot of teams stay out of this zone.”
Jeffrey Ipock, Blake Tracy, Bryant King and Nate Knowles will join Wray in the secondary.
Talbert will look for his team to fine tune and focus on the little things to improve on last season’s 5-5 record.
“I believe our success will be defined by our ability to focus and execute the little things that matter,” Talbert said. “We must protect the football, have great center-quarterback exchange, not have missed assignments and everything else will take care of itself. We have the talent to win, we have got to do things right in order to get there.”
Rogersville will host Strafford, Central and Hillcrest for a jamboree on Aug. 18. The Wildcats open the regular season on Aug. 25 at East Newton.
