Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis
On Sept.1 against Macon County, DeKalb County starting quarterback Briz Trapp left the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury.
This led to backup quarterback Jordan Parker taking the reins of the offense in a game the Tigers went on to lose 21-13. Since then however, DeKalb County has won three straight games by an average margin of 31.7 points per game, with the second one coming in 48-13 fashion over region foe Cumberland County.
For head coach Steve Trapp, he says he’s seen an uptick in drive and effort-level each week that his team has taken the field.
“We didn’t dwell on (the Macon game) too long,” Trapp said. “My guys showed great resilience in pulling out the games we have since then…that was a big contest because it was a region game, but we stayed the course from then on.”
Parker’s been a big part of the offensive explosion since then, as the following week against Watertown suggested. Parker threw for a touchdown and 117 yards in that game, but more importantly, he kept the mistakes to a minimum and forced the defense to honor the passing game instead of crowding the line and going all out to stop the run.
Trapp isn’t surprised by anything Parker is doing, and the difference he sees now is that his new quarterback is taking the prep and practice snaps even more seriously than he did before.
“When we started our summer sessions, I told him that this year was different because if I need another quarterback to come in, it’s all you,” Trapp said. “He took that to heart. When the injury happened with Briz, he got in there and just did what I told him to do…he plays point guard for the basketball team, so I told him he’s now our point guard on the grass.”
Parker has always had a keen eye during film studies, and Trapp says that’s one of his best attributes when it comes to preparing for any opponent. The reps in practice have only made his job a little easier.
“He’s making sure the ball is getting to who it needs to go to,” Trapp said. “His confidence is growing each and every week, and it’s showing on the field…Mondays following games, I’ll ask him what he saw on tape, and he’ll say the same things I saw. He’s just doing whatever he can to help the team.”
The other big piece of the offense has been senior running back Colby Barnes. Since rushing for 86 yards and a score against Warren County in week one, Barnes hasn’t had a game below 100 yards. Add in back-to-back games against Watertown and Cumberland County where he rushed for over 400 yards combined, and you’ve got a breakout star in Smithville.
It’s nothing new for Trapp, because Barnes has been a productive player ever since he put on the DeKalb County jersey.
“We’ve always known that he’s had this ability,” Trapp said. “His freshman year, he messed up his shoulder, otherwise he would’ve likely been a starter from day one…his sophomore and junior year, he split offensive series with Nathaniel Crook, but he was still getting six to seven yards a carry.”
The interesting thing about both Barnes and Parker is that even though they are two completely different players with different levels of experience, Trapp’s given the same message to both about this season.
“I told Colby before the season that there’s no other running back who’s going to go out there unless he needs a break,” Trapp said. “And he hasn’t needed one yet…he’s getting around 25 to 30 carries and he’s still averaging six yards a carry. We’re still capable of throwing the ball, so teams are still going to have to honor what we’ve done through the air, but they’re going to have to honor our capability of running the football and that starts with Colby and the offensive line.”
DeKalb County will welcome in Livingston Academy to Smithville on Friday night, and full coverage will be provided on Uppercumberlandreporter.com.