The 2018 football season was a big step for the Cats. They finished with a 5-5 record on the season with a relatively young team. It was a great year for the seniors in all phases of the game; but, who is going to fill the shoes and continue the Wildcats’ improvement? Well, with Orel Ladet gone, the linebacker position is still in good hands with sophomore Julius Johnson and senior Jacob Joffrion. Johnson’s stats show promise on the defensive side of the ball with 33 solo tackles, 53 assisted tackles totaling to 86 tackles on the season. Johnson’s presence was felt throughout the season. Jacob Joffrion ended the season with 20 solos, 33 assisted, totaling to 53 tackles on the season. Former Bolton High School product Terrance Garnett Jr. looks to capitalize on his impressive freshman year. Garnett topped off the season with 19 solos, 30 assisted totaling to 49 tackles on the season. Lastly, former ETBU sophomore defensive back transfer Larenz Clark had an impressive first year for the Cats. He accounted for 40 tackles with 25 of those being solo and 15 assisted.
On the offensive side of things, the loss of Drake Battaglia, Leondre James, and JoJo Robinson will be felt but the underclassmen receiving core shows promise to fill the void. The guys looking to fill the void are sophomores Zion Williams and Micah Dunn. Zion Williams finished the season with 17 catches for 215 yards. Micah Dunn topped off the season with 11 catches for 160 yards. Finally, the Southwestern Oklahoma State University junior tight end transfer Sam Philips had a notable first year for the blue and orange. The 6’5, 245-pound tight end was definitely a nice addition to Coach Charles’s offensive core. Philips finished the season with 9 catches for 98 yards including 1 touchdown. In the back field, will be returning veterans such as junior Aaron Woods and sophomore Melvin Young III. Woods accounted for 318 yards on 100 attempts to top off the season while Young finished with 226 total yards on 73 attempts.
The future is bright for the Wildcats in 2019. With a team like this, the Wildcats are not looking to rebuild but to reload and capitalize on the impressive 2018 season.
