We tell you everything you need to know about the 2022 Bainbridge football team in this preview. We take a look at roster changes and what fans can expect from the team this season.
2021 Stats
- Overall Record: 9-4
- Points Scored: 382
- Points Against: 209
Key Losses
When talking about the key losses that Head Coach Jeff Littleton and Bainbridge will have to overcome, you’ve got to begin with Deyon “Smoke” Bouie. While he certainly had impressive career numbers as a Bearcat with 64 catches for 1,274 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns, his presence on the field altered the way teams went about their business.
He was a weapon in more ways than one, as his 2,181 all-purpose yards will attest. Bouie ended up with 11 interceptions while at Bainbridge. He’s now taking his skills to Texas A&M and the Aggies.
His cousin Zion Bouie also will not return, and his departure leaves another big hole for the Bearcats to fill. Zion, like Smoke, played several roles for Bainbridge over his career, accounting for 1,470 career all-purpose yards in rushing, receiving and special teams return yards. He also had 142 career tackles, seven recovered fumbles and seven career interceptions.
WR/CB Zaccheaus “Zye” Chrispen is another big loss for Bainbridge. He caught 30 passes for 539 yards and six TDs when playing offense, and recorded 43 tackles and snagged three interceptions on defense.
Who’s Back
Returning to run the Bainbridge offense in 2022 will be senior Bo Smith, who enters the season with just over 2,200 career passing yards and 23 TDs. He also rushed for another five TDs.
Smith will have his main target and the team’s leading receiver in 2021 back in WR Antavious Murphy. He caught 31 passes for 508 yards and three TDs last season, and having that tandem back for another season is huge for the Bearcats.
Murphy’s significance to the team isn’t limited to just offense; as a DB, he intercepted four passes last year, with two of them returned for touchdowns. Murphy also did a solid job as a kick returner last season, averaging 17 yards per return.
Keenan Phillips, the team’s leading rusher last season, also will return this season, giving Littleton and his staff a nice trifecta of returning talent on offense to work with.
On defense, Bainbridge will welcome back its leading tackler from the past two seasons in LB Dontavious Broadnax. Fellow linebackers Tevon Moore and Amari Ross also return, as do defensive linemen Dariyon Smart and Devon Smart.
What to Expect
According to Littleton, with so much talent returning, Bainbridge should have a lot to look forward to this year.
“We have high expectations for this team,” Littleton said. “Several of these returning players have been involved in many playoff games over their careers, and they understand what it’s like to come up a little short of championship play and have worked hard in the offseason to get bigger, faster, and stronger.”
According to Littleton, the Bearcats are ready to do what it takes.
“These guys are focused and determined to prepare for the opportunities that are ahead of them and are committed to the Bearcat process,” he said.
Bearcat fans should be excited about the 2022 season.
Prediction
Look for big things with this team: 11-3 and a deep run into the playoffs.
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