by Rusty Ellis
The DeKalb County Tigers saw their 2022 season get off to an excellent 6-1 start before injuries ravaged their roster and led to a four-game losing streak to close the season.
All four losses were close, just one-score games, and for head coach Steve Trapp, that showed how his team battled no matter who was on the field.
This year, the Tigers return both their starting quarterback Briz Trapp and receiver-turned running back Malachi Trapp, as the head coach says he wants to see those two form a formidable tandem on the ground that can help open up the passing game.
“The potential is there for those two to do a really good job for us,” Trapp said. “(Malachi) is a dynamic athlete and he needs to touch the football…we think that’ll set us up in the pass game and we think we can flip that around too, but it’s an ongoing process and we see progression every day from those two guys.”
As far as the passing game is concerned, it’ll be up to players like Jon Hendrix, Jordan Parker and others to give Trapp options downfield.
“Jon’s a young guy for us and he’s a really good athlete for us,” Trapp said. “We’re throwing him in there into the fire. Jordan Parker did a great job last year as our backup quarterback, but we’re putting him in the slot…Austin Nicholson’s a guy that we’ve put in that’s been making plays for us, he’s been a starter on defense for us, but he’ll play a lot for us at outside receiver. Marquez Chalfant’s new to the team and he’ll play a lot of outside receiver for us as well.”
When you want your rushing attack to be lethal, you also need a good offensive line, and while Trapp has his two tackles set in Wil Farris and Chris Pulley, there will be three new faces in the interior of the line.
“They’re all new so there’s not a lot of experience,” Trapp said. “One is a four-year senior in Aaron Hatfield at left guard, and the other two guys are Bryson Arnold and Aiden Turner, who will play right guard and center for us….it’s a group that has to gel together, and that’s something we focus on throughout the season. This camp season is really critical for those guys up front because as they go, everyone else goes.”
Defensively, it’ll be a lot of the same names as players like Farris and Chalfant will help to anchor that front-7, while others like Ari White and Trace Hamilton are expected to play big roles as well.
“Wil’s an all-region defensive lineman, and Ari White’s a three-year starter,” Trapp said. “He’s an all-region performer as well…in the secondary, Austin Nicholson and Jordan Parker give us depth there. Ty Webb is a three-year starter, and he plays really well at safety for us. We’re rotating through a few guys at cornerback to see who wants it. Bryson Trapp has given us depth since he’s been here, but he’s stepped into that inside linebacker spot and played really well. A lot of credit goes to Coach Shaw, my defensive coordinator, because he’s done a great job with this group.”
Trapp has never shied away from big expectations for his teams, and the 2023 version of the Tigers is no different. The expectation is to compete for the region championship first and then move on to the playoffs and see what happens there.
“We’ve got to make sure we’re doing the things it takes to accomplish that,” Trapp said. “If we’re focused on the final prize and not the day-to-day basis, other teams will. We need to lock in on an everyday basis, and then when the time comes on Friday for us to take care of business, we go from there.”
The Tigers will open up the season on Aug. 18 at Warren County.
