For most programs, returning just a pair of offensive starters and being bumped up to Class 6A would be cause for some trepidation entering the season.
But this is Snider, where challenges are mere obstacles to overcome.
The Panthers open the season No. 1 in our area power poll, partly because of what is back on defense and partly because we know that Snider isn’t going anywhere despite a wealth of new faces.
Seven starters return on defense, including the entire secondary. Four seniors – Notre Dame commit Brandon Logan, University of Delaware commit Jamarion Kolagbodi, Ethan Pierre-Louis and Allen Bolton – hold down the defensive backfield. Junior Keion Sykes, who started last year, will also be on the field in Snider’s 4-2-5 base scheme.
Adam Blakey’s four sacks and six tackles for loss were both team highs a season ago. The senior defensive end is back with two years of starting experience. Juniors Kenyon Conklin and Aaron Hughes are a pair of dudes up front to watch, as well as sophomore Derion Clopton.
With the graduation of Lucas Rohrbacher, senior Landen Fry (85 tackles, three INTs, two sacks, two TFL) is the seasoned veteran back at linebacker. Fellow senior Dallas Woodson (31 tackles, five TFL) also brings back starting experience. That duo will lead the way with junior John Dinwiddie and sophomores Jekhari Cole and Braylin Fertil also seeing significant time.
A huge void is left by Uriah Buchanan at running back, who amassed 2,002 yards and 28 touchdowns last fall. Also gone is Ke’ron Billingsley, who threw for 1,293 yards and 11 scores and rushed for 548 yards and eight more scores.
Snider could be a running back by committee, at least early in the season until someone separates themselves. Junior Jordan Davis has the most experience returning, 13 rushes for 54 yards and a TD in 2023, with junior Wade Raines and sophomore Zion Rogan also in the mix.
Senior Aaron Vance ascends to the QB1 spot. Senior Trevor Jarvis is the team’s top returning receiver with 28 receptions for 269 yards and a score last season. Juniors Raines and Schimar Reddic will also line up wide.
Blakey has the potential to be an exceptional tight end if he can balance going both ways. Junior Jaquaveon Harris will also see time at tight end.
Just a pair of linemen with starting experience are back – senior Ethan Leal at tackle and junior Sawyer Tippmann at center. The line may need time to come together, but the potential is there. Juniors Isaiah Caldwell, Amari Ford, Crosby Daniels and Sawyer Bade are all names to know in the trenches.
WHY #1?
The offense may be as young and unproven as we have seen in awhile at Snider, but the potential is there. Perhaps more convincing is the program’s ability to reload on the fly. Last year, not much was thought of Billingsley at QB and the wide receiver corps. All that team did was win a Class 5A title.
The back two levels of the defense are going to be nasty, and if Blakey can get some help from some new starters along the front, the unit is going to be incredibly difficult to move the ball against. This defense is going to be very opportunistic when it comes to forcing turnovers.
As always, special teams and the intangibles are going to favor Snider most of the time. The Panthers will be prepared every Friday night. Vance may need some time to develop and the offensive line will need to find itself quickly, but the defense can lead the way until the offense finds its rhythm.
CRITICAL GAME
Week 5 at Carroll
Last year, a pair of Brandon Logan pick-6’s propelled Snider to a three-point win over Carroll. The two teams that we expect to battle for the division (and potential conference) title meet in Week 5.
This rivalry, with Carroll coach Doug Dinan a former Snider assistant, has been exceptional in recent years, with the Chargers winning by one in 2021 and a by a touchdown in 2022.
With the Snider offense be fully up to speed by then? Can Jimmy Sullivan get some revenge on Logan and that defense? Plenty of storylines in this one.
CRUCIAL PLAYER
Snider offensive line
Uriah Buchanan got the love, but it was the offensive front last year that were the true heroes in the 2,000-yard season for the running back. Guys like Ethan Dodson and Carter Wilson are gone, as is Buchanan and QB Billingsley. With a cast of new characters on offense, the linemen must establish the push in the trenches that is going to set the tone for whoever is running the football, as well as give Aaron Vance time to be comfortable in the pocket.
With a solid offensive line, Snider is a factor in the SAC and behind. If the line doesn’t develop, the Panthers could struggle to knock off the big dogs on its schedule, not to mention the 6A playoffs that loom come October.
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