By Michael Lindsay
Fresh off a Class 2A state semifinal appearance in 2022, the York Institute Dragons are gearing up for another deep playoff run under head coach Derwin Wright.
“We had a really great year last year and hit the peak at the right time,” said Wright, who is entering his 21st season as head coach of the Dragons. “Every season is a new start; every week we’re 0-0. We lost a little bit of depth at a few key spots, so staying healthy is going to be a big key for us.”
York Institute went 9-5 in 2022 and was defeated in the state semifinals by eventual Class 2A state champion Tyner.
“You have to have confidence in what you did, but to do it again you have to put in the work,” Wright said. “We surprised some people last year, and that’s not going to happen this year.”
York Institute lost 7 seniors from last season but returns 15 starters and 12 seniors in 2023.
The Dragons return multiple key offensive pieces including their starting quarterback, Myles Leffew.
“Myles is back on both sides,” Wright said. “He’s a senior that’s played quarterback for almost 4 years. He brings a lot to the table.”
Joining Leffew in the backfield will be running backs Logan Pannell and Lake Drake alongside wing back Riylin Miller.
Aidan Sweathomas, Will Beaty and Kole Brannon are set to rotate at receiver with Bryson Bilbrey and Tanner Talent playing tight end.
Up front, CJ Brown is set to start at right tackle alongside Landon Swallows at right guard, Landon Sells at center, Will Goodman at left guard and Jacob Bertram and Michael Wall rotating at left tackle. Marquise Thomas is expected to rotate on the line as well.
“We have a power set and it’s going to be predominantly run for us,” Wright said. “We’ve got a lot of speed on the team, though, so we have to take advantage of that. There’s games it’ll be better to hammer the football, but there’s other situations where we can spread it out.”
The Dragons return 7 defensive starters from last season’s state semifinal run.
“Defensively, we want to play technique and get to the football quick,” Wright said. “We don’t want to make coverage mistakes and need to do our responsibility.”
Projected starters include Austin Huddleston at nose guard and Michael Wall, Jacob Bertram and CJ Brown rotating at defensive end.
At linebacker, the Dragons expect to start Blake Voiles and Tanner Talent inside while Joseph Linder and Bryson Bilbrey are slated to start on the outside.
In the secondary, Aidan Sweathomas and Logan Pannell are expected to start at the corners while Myles Leffew and Lake Drake are set to start at the corners with Will Beaty and Kole Brannon rotating in.
Riylin Miller will punt while Jorge Soto is set to kick.
Joining Wright on York Institute’s coaching staff include Vic Wheaton, Mark Winningham, Matt Harris, Adam Bowden, Shayne Monday, Richard Tallent, Chad Leffew, Glen Rexroat, Tim Delk and Anthony Delk.
The Dragons are set to stay in Region 2-2A this season alongside Bledsoe County, Wartburg, Oneida, Polk County and Tellico Plains. Non-region foes for York Institute include Clay County, Grace Christian, Livingston Academy, Stone Memorial and Friendship Christian.
“It’s going to be a pretty balanced region in my opinion,” Wright said. “We’ve got a tough non-region schedule. We open with Clay County, who’s coming back as runners-up in Class 1A. We’ve got Grace Christian game two on a Saturday. They’re a good team to see; they spread it out and throw it all over the lot. We’ve got Livingston, who is a traditional rival. We’re playing Stone again, who got us pretty good last year. We also have Friendship Christian, who won state in the private school division last year.
“We looked for teams that are going to be really good football teams,” Wright added. “We want that to gain experience hopefully into the playoffs.”
York Institute is set to compete in their final preseason scrimmage at Cumberland County on Friday before opening the season with Clay County on Friday, Aug. 18.
