By Josh Vardaman
The Summit Spartans enter 2016 fresh off their best season in school history.
Not only did they snap a 20-game losing streak with a Week 2 win over Clarksville, but they also won the most games in school history after finishing 4-6.
Head coach Brian Coleman enters his third year at Summit with high expectations, as the team returns 10 starters on offense and 11 starters on defense.
“With so many people returning, we have a lot of high expectations for this group,” Coleman said. “Our motto has been, so far, to embrace those expectations. They’ve worked hard to get this point. They deserve success.”
SPARTANS’ OFFENSE
If the Spartans are going to build on last year’s success and capture their first winning season in school history, they are going to have to rely on a handful of running backs to lead their wing-T attack.
Last year’s offense was stagnant at times. The Spartans averaged just 19.5 points per game, but had a Week 11 explosion in which they scored 42 against Columbia.
Junior Tai Carter and senior Tyler Palmer lead the group of backs who return this season. They will be helped in the backfield by seniors Christian Snyder and Dalton Fisher, and junior Payton Craig is also expected to see some action.
Quarterback Michael Zakrzewski is also back this season. Though the senior may not see a ton of pass attempts because of the Spartans’ wing-T offense, he will be relied on heavily in the running game.
On the offensive line, Summit has all but center Ben Griggs – the only graduated starter from last year’s team – back this season.
Spartans’ Defense
The Summit defense will also need to improve this year in order to achieve a winning season. It gave up 27.7 points per game to opponents last season, including four games in which opposing teams scored more than 40 points.
While the Spartans had some issues on the defensive side of the ball last season, they have all 11 starters returning. That experience will be key to make their 3-4 defense effective.
Leading the charge up front are defensive ends Tommy Smith and Seth Knott, and nose guard Chance Jarosz.
Christian Snyder and Jake Geasley will play outside linebacker, and Robert Holmes and Nick Johnson will man the inside linebacker spots.
Jay Richardson and Carter are the starting cornerbacks, and Palmer and Dalton Fisher are the team’s safeties.
Overview
With 21 starters returning from last year’s 4-6 team, this could be the first time in school history the Spartans to finish a season at .500 or better.
They’re hopeful they can carry on momentum from the end of last year, when they had two upset wins over La Vergne and Lincoln County en route to a 3-2 finish to the season.
The Spartans will begin their quest for the best season in school history on Aug. 19 in a rivalry game against Spring Hill. Summit is 2-3 against their crosstown rivals all-time, including a 27-15 loss to the Raiders in Week 1 last year.
“They have a lot of returners back — they’re going to be a good football team this year,” Coleman said. “It’ll be a tough challenge for us. It’s important for us to get a good start this season.”
