Every football season, someone gets slept on.
With that said, this is my best attempt at reasonably trying to avoid that fate.
Looking at returning and departing players, schedules and other factors, here are the Piedmont Triad teams best equipped to experience a turnaround or significant improvement.
I limited eligible teams for consideration to those who had losing records last season.
Glenn
2022 record: 3-7, 2-5 in Central Piedmont 4A
The Bobcats were bitten particularly hard by the injury bug last year. It was also only the third time since Antwon Stevenson took over as coach in 2015 that the Bobcats had a losing record and it was the worst record, suggesting last year may have been an outlier vs. a trend. Stevenson said this summer that the team has returned to culture non-negotiables that have led to past success and sees a “hard hat” mentality of not complaining. Glenn lacked quarterback stability last season, but a powerful offensive line led by Grayson Johnson hopes to create a strong running game to help sophomore signal caller Jerrell Crawford, who is counted on to be the consistent QB1. The downside is that it faces one of the area’s toughest schedules non-conference and conference. In conference, it goes on the road when facing Reagan, West Forsyth, Mount Tabor and East Forsyth.
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North Forsyth
2022 record: 3-7, 0-6 in Mid-State 2A
Vikings great Bernard Williams enters his fourth season leading his alma mater, so this will be the first full class to go through with him as the head coach. Senior quarterback Victor Wingate Jr. has been on varsity since eighth grade and could be one of the area’s best dual threats. A fully healthy Lewis Green gives the RPO attack more strength and a collection of young players return a year older. Five of the team’s seven losses were by eight points or less. However, the non-conference schedule contains challenges in Mount Tabor and Oak Grove and the conference opener is against Reidsville, the league’s heavy favorite.
Parkland
2022 record: 0-10, 0-7 in Central Piedmont 4A
I know it went 0-10 last year and I know it was outscored 312-27 in conference play. Under Derek Bryant, the Mustangs were 1-24 over the past three seasons. It may be a stretch to suppose contention in the CPC under first-year Coach Derrick Sharpe, but I don’t think it is in regard to achieving significant improvement. Sharpe, the former Parkland offensive coordinator, gets the conference’s only returning All-CPC QB in Riley Horton and weapon Antwan Hughes Jr., who ran a 10.27 100 meters at New Balance Nationals. The defense returns eight starters and receives Reynolds transfer Scott Walker III at defensive end. The biggest question: Can the team improve quickly enough to snag early-season non-conference wins or will history repeat itself in year one for Sharpe?
Ragsdale
2022 record: 2-8, 2-5 in Metro 4A
Multiple area coaches mentioned the Tigers as a sleeper to watch for, despite losing their starting quarterback to Andrews and their far-and-away leading receiver to graduation in a pass-happy era. However, they return two key defensive linemen in Chance Pickard and Marquis Varner-James to set the tone for a strong defense up front. Meanwhile, in conference, Southeast Guilford only returns three starters on each side of the ball, Page lost a valuable two-way star to Dudley and the competitive rivalry with Southwest Guilford will be at home this year. The biggest question may be at quarterback. And how will the Tigers adjust in its transition from a four to a three-man front defense?
Southwest Guilford
2022 record: 5-6, 3-4 in Metro 4A
The Cowboys accomplished their mark, despite injuries and having to place star receiver Corbin Wilson at quarterback. A key to success will be if Cale Lloyd steps up at quarterback and a collective group can support players such as Wilson and 3-star Jaylen Carl, who appears to be one of the area’s best all-around defensive linemen run and pass. Coach Marlon White’s wing-t-influenced offense gives other teams a unique scheme to prepare for. The schedule features a challenging opener on the road vs. Oak Grove, although it finishes non-conference play with Reynolds and High Point Central who have struggled and have new coaches. If it could win either or both vs. Oak Grove and Page, which were each three-point games last year, we could be talking about a strong early-season run and good momentum entering the rest of its schedule.
West Forsyth
2022 record: 4-7, 4-3 in Central Piedmont 4A
The Titans return two of the Triad’s top offensive linemen in PJ Dean and Desmond Jackson and All-Northwest first team running back Caman Chaplin, along with a three-year starter at quarterback in Bert Rice. A defense returns playmakers in Caleb David and Marcus Wilson. If the Titans can control the clock, create opportunistic turnovers and have young receivers step up in key moments, this team has the chance to make noise in a difficult conference. Unlike Glenn, it plays Mount Tabor, the Bobcats, Reagan and East Forsyth all at home.