We tell you everything you need to know about the 2022 Deerfield-Windsor 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: 3-7
- Points Scored: 135
- Points Against: 307
Key Losses
Several key members of the Knights will not return, and according to third-year head coach Jake McCrae, the team will miss every graduating senior. “They are all gonna be missed, that’s for sure,” said the coach.
One of the team leaders on and off the field is OLB Carter Deriso, who was like a coach on the field for the Knights, said McCrae. Wright Strickland, who played both sides of the ball on the OL and DL, has graduated, as has Connor Smith, who played LB and OL.
Garrett Watson, a 5-foot-9 sparkplug who played WR/CB and punted for Deerfield, will not return this year. WR/CB Bo Bennett, OLB Will Custer, TE/DE Will Gray, LS Cason Roberts, DT Karl Wiggins, and DE Will Wiles round out the seniors who have moved on from the Knights.
Who’s Back
Leading the returning starters from last year will actually be a starter from the last two seasons in QB Thomas Ray. The 5-foot-8 Ray will kick off his senior season and third straight year as the Knights’ starting signal caller. Some of Ray’s favorite targets at receiver are also returning, including senior WR Chance Bacon, who will also see time at safety.
Speedy RB/DE Ethan Johnson is back, and McCrae says he has all the tools to be a great player. “He weighs about 205 pounds and had the fastest time at a recent South Georgia football camp that had a lot of really good players. He ran a 4.6 40,” said the Knights head coach.
Others returning to help the Knights in their return to GISA in 2022 will be ATH Thomas “Chewy” Willis. A couple of players returning to help out in the area of special teams will be junior kicker Waylon Marbury, who kicked a 47-yard FG against Mt De Sales last season. ATH and kick returner Boles Middleton will be back to handle punt returns as well as kickoff returns for Deerfield-Windsor this season. John Allen “JA” Rigsby also will be a welcomed returner this year.
What To Expect
The Knights will return to GISA play after playing in GHSA as a member of the now-dissolved Class 1A private. The two-year “experiment” by Deerfield-Windsor did not go very smoothly – the team experienced its first losing season in 21 seasons, finishing 2-8 in 2020, then last season the Knights came in at 3-7 before deciding to return to the Georgia Independent School Association, where they had always called home before 2018.
The Knights will enter 2022 with a lot of seniors (18), but a lot of freshman as well, according to McCrae. “We are heavy on experience, and heavy on inexperience, says the head coach. “We are a little low in the middle with about seven sophomores and seven juniors.” The key is the quarterback, three-year starter Thomas Ray, who is solid, and it is always a good thing to have a dependable signal-caller to lead the team.
Prediction
Deerfield finds a path back to their winning ways with a 6-4 overall record.
Want to get the latest news and opinions in the Georgia high school sports world before anyone else? Subscribe to our email newsletter!
