We tell you everything you need to know about the 2022 Crisp County 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: 404
- Points Against: 172
Key Losses
We have to count the departure of Coach Miguel Patrick as one of the biggest losses for the Cougars, as he is off to Ohio State University. But don’t worry, Cougar fans, as former offensive coordinator Lawrence Smith has been promoted to head coach, and he’ll keep things going in the right direction in Cordele.
Smith and his staff will have to deal with a few big losses, including QB Jack Carter, who threw for 1,600 yards and 16 TDs last season. A talented baseball player, Carter is still deciding which sport he will commit to in as he makes his college decision. Running back Marquise Palmer, a 4-year starter at Crisp, is off to Tuskegee Institute to continue his football career. The player Smith says was the Cougars’ best receiver has graduated and is off to Lenoir-Rhyne to play football. That would be Eric Ivory Jr, who also played cornerback for Crisp.
Also on defense, MLB Kanye Spivey will depart Cordele, leaving a big hole for Smith and staff to fill. He racked up 98 tackles last season and had five sacks during his career at Crisp. His teammate on that side of the ball, DE Ethan Pollock, also had five sacks during his time as a Big Cat, part of an 80-tackle effort while at Crisp. That is just some of a mighty talented group of graduating Cougars who will not return.
Who’s Back
AJ Brown is one of the state’s top recruits, and his return will certainly give Crisp County a big lift in 2022. The Crisp coaches tell us he may end up playing QB this season. He is no stranger to the position, as he acted as the team’s Wildcat QB last season. He accounted for 17 total TDs and averaged seven yards per carry last season. According to Crisp Director of Football Operations Michael Martin, Brown is being offered by “practically every college around.” No surprise there.
The talented Trae Walker will return, and he gives opponents a lot to worry about. He has 682 total receiving yards on 44 carries with 6 TDs. He also has 253 kickoff return yards plus 156 career punt return yards as a special teams ace, too.
Providing a huge boost to the defense this season will be senior DL Amir Dwight, who really stood out last season with 65 tackles, including five sacks. He will see time on the offensive line in 2022 as well. The reigning 3A Defensive Player of the Year, LB Julian Fox is back for his senior season, and one look at his stats tells the story of why the Cougar senior is one of the best defenders around. He had 148 tackles with four sacks last season alone. You can bet he’s a handful during Crisp’s “Big Kat” drills.
A returning junior who has this year and yet another to impact the Cougars is Kevon “KJ” Merrell, a 4.0 GPA student athlete who will make his presence felt on both offense and defense in 2022. Merrell will likely play LB and RB this season.
What To Expect
It’s almost a wash, so to speak, for the Cougars heading into this season, with a lot of talent leaving, but a lot of talented players returning also. If anyone is looking at intangibles for a reason to find what could affect the Cougars this year, maybe it’s the fact that they have their third head coach in as many seasons. Does that really mean any difference for the Cougars? So far, it hasn’t. They have finished 38-14 over the past four seasons with three region titles during that time span, and that has been with three different head coaches.
Smith points out, however, that the entire staff of assistant coaches is back, which is highly unusual when you have a head coaching change. Smith also says what we’ve pointed out: “We have some holes to fill, but we have a lot coming back, too. We only lost six kids that started or played meaningful minutes for us last year, plus we were really young.”
Prediction
No reason to think Crisp isn’t headed towards another region title and more – I see 11 wins. 11-2 will do.
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