We tell you everything you need to know about the 2022 Dougherty football team in this preview. We take a look at roster changes and what fans can expect from the team this season
2020 Stats
- Overall Record: 10-3
- Points Scored: 402
- Points Against: 209
Key Losses
Head Coach Johnny Gilbert and his staff are faced with finding replacements for three of the team’s leading receivers from last year, starting with Gemarion Anthony. He ended his career at Hugh Mills Stadium with 856 career receiving yards, 474 rushing yards, and 346 kickoff and punt return yards.
Fellow receiver Jaquon Tinch has graduated and leaves with 438 all-purpose yards to his credit, while Kemauri Stubbs leaves to continue his football career at Point University. Anthony is going the junior college route to attend Ramah Juco Academy in South Carolina. He’s joined there by center Dejon Young and LB Kenyon Brown.
Left guard Quantavious Jenkins signed with Fort Valley State University, RT Anthony Suttles is off to Benedict University, FS Daymon Polite is headed to Bethune-Cookman, and DB Elijah West will attend Western Illinois. The Trojans will miss kicker Miguel Vargas, who was 7 of 9 on FG attempts, including a long of 47 yards. He was also 48-53 on PATs in his career at Dougherty.
Who’s Back
The Trojans have plenty of returning talent and fans should be excited about their team this season. It starts on the offense with returning junior phenom Kameron Davis at quarterback. In his first two seasons leading the Trojan offense, he has thrown for 2,436 yards with 16 TDs. He has also rushed for 1,917 yards and 21 TD in just 17 games.
Davis is joined in the backfield by RB Jacob “Tokyo” Stallworth, who has rushed for 957 yards and 10 TDs over the past two seasons as a feature back in Dougherty’s offense. Other key returners on the offensive side of the ball include WR Larry Lane and linemen Anthony Mareus, Tavian Thomas, and Tyler Lofton.
On defense, three-star DE Stantavious Smith leads the returners. He is a highly in-demand recruit with several SEC schools among his suitors. Other returning DL are seniors Octavious Griffin and Antonio Culbreth, along with junior Maurice Davis. A couple of linebackers return in senior Ja’Marcus Harris and junior Chancie Brown. Joe Gonzalez will assume the kicking duties from Miguel Vargas, who graduated.
What To Expect
There’s no reason to think Dougherty won’t be right back where they were last season, when they won 10 games and advanced to the quarterfinals of the AAA playoffs. In fact, with arguably the state’s best QB returning in Davis, and one of the state’s best defensive lineman coming back in Stantavious Smith, they may take it a step or two further.
In addition to those two playmakers, there’s plenty more talent back this season, and Gilbert has shown that given the talent, he can take a team pretty far – and he surely has the talent returning this season. The Dougherty head coach says his goals for his team are fairly simple: “We want to get better each week and go out and compete for a region and a state championship.”
Prediction
Watch out for the Trojans this season in AAA: 12 wins with a shot at the state championship.
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