2013 is the season that the Somerset Briar Jumpers have been building towards for the past couple of seasons. Sure, the last two seasons saw Somerset win Regional Championships and advance to the State Semi-Finals but those were sophomore and junior dominated teams. Those players are now seniors and are looking to take things a step further and advance to Bowling Green. Head Coach Robbie Lucas is 47-10 in his 4 years at the helm for the Jumpers with 4 District Championships, 4 Region Championships and a State Runner-Up finish. The only thing that has eluded Lucas is the same thing that has eluded the Somerset program throughout its long history: a State Championship. Long considered by many the best program never to win the big trophy, the Briar Jumpers will be trying to finally end the playoffs with a win after 5 previous Runner-Up finishes.

 

One of the things that hindered Somerset the past 2 seasons was an inconsistent offense. That shouldn't be the case in 2013. "This team will be much more like the 2009 and 2010 teams from an offensive perspective." said Coach Lucas. "We will have lots of options and the skill positions and the most physical line of scrimmage since the 2009 team." That line of scrimmage will be keyed by left tackle Kagen Skidmore. Skidmore is a 3 year starter and has already received an offer from Eastern Kentucky University as well as interest from the University of Kentucky and several others. He will be joined by another returning starter in center Jonathan Perdue. Along with these returning starters look for Alex McGuffey to man the guard spot beside Skidmore and either Bailey McEnroe or Rockcastle County transfer Andrew Hyzermann to fill the other guard spot. Right tackle is still up in the air. Jarrett Beasley, a senior figured to be the starter early on but as his reps have increased on defense he may only play offense in short yardage packages. If Beasley is not the starter look for Hayden Fox, McEnroe or Hyzermann to get the majority of the snaps. Caleb Gross and Sean Hayes also figure into the mix. If healthy this promises to be an offensive line with the strength to play the power game and agility to pass block. Depth will be the major concern.

 

After playing two quarterbacks early in each of the last two seasons while trying to decide on a starter Somerset comes into 2013 with sophomore Castle Hatcher entrenched as the starter. Last season saw Hatcher complete 40-80 throws for 771 yards to go along with 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Hatcher can also hurt you with his scrambling ability as he rushed for 211 yards on 53 carries and added 4 scores. Most of those numbers came with him splitting time with Tanner Gadberry. With a full offseason of practice look for Hatcher to greatly improve on his completion percentage and understanding of the offense. While Hatcher is solidly entrenched as the starter, last season's primary quarterback, Tanner Gadberry will still be a very key part of the 2013 team both on offense and defense. On offense, look for Gadberry to be used all over the field. He rushed for 341 yards and 7 scores on 79 attempts last season mostly from the quarterback position. He will still see some time at quarterback in more of a Wildcat set. Unlike a lot of Wildcat formation quarterbacks Gadberry will be able to hurt you with his arm. The senior also threw for 854 yards and 5 touchdowns. When not lining up a quarterback look for Gadberry to see time at fullback, tailback and tight end on the offensive side of the football. Freshman Justin Ousler, who has a bright future at the position, will be the third quarterback.

 

The offensive backfield will be very deep with several players getting regular touches. Senior Will Lange is the leading returning rusher. Lange tallied 855 yards and 10 touchdowns on 153 carries in 2012 to go along with 12 receptions for 430 yards and 4 scores. He will used both at running back as well as receiver this season. Lange has speed to burn and is a threat to score every time he touches the ball whether it is from the running back, receiver or kick returner position--he added 3 kick return touchdowns last season. Joining him in the backfield will be fellow seniors Bryson Jones, Devin Griffith and Tanner Gadberry. Jones is a 3 year starter on the defensive side of the ball and has been a contributor in the backfield the last couple of seasons. In 2012 he rushed for 279 yards and 3 scores while adding 204 receiving yards and a touchdown on 11 catches out of the backfield. Griffith saw limited time in the backfield on offense but both he and Gadberry will get carries there this season, particularly in power formations. Joining the group of seniors in the backfield is a player that has Somerset fans very excited for the future: freshman Jordan Doan. Doan is extremely fast and elusive but powerful enough to break tackles. He will be a definite factor in the backfield and his presence will allow Lange to be used at receiver more than in 2012. "He's going to be a special player." Said Coach Lucas, "Physically, I don't know if any freshman is ready for varsity, but this kid is as ready as any I've seen." The Jumpers will look to limit his touches as to not wear him down but his presence makes an already strong position extremely deep.

 

The receiver and tight end positions are another strength of this 2013 Briar Jumper team. The receivers will be led by senior Cam Cheuvront. Chevront is a burner with an exceptional vertical leap. He won the Class A State Championship in the 100 M last spring. In 2012 he led the team with 770 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns on 52 receptions. He also added a punt return for a touchdown. Joining him at wide receiver will be Will Lange, Addison Thompson, Brayden McWilliams and Pulaski County transfer Alex Franklin. Coach Lucas: "Overall this group has excellent speed and catches the ball very well." The tight end position will be manned by Jacobi Gilmore, Austin Coomer and Tanner Gadberry. Gilmore is a nice looking athlete who, at 6'2" 240 pounds brings to mind last season's tight end, Tyson Williams who has moved on to play for Eastern Kentucky University. Coomer is another big, athletic player who can block as well as catch the ball. Gadberry, while not as experienced at the position will be an asset there especially in two tight sets which the Jumpers will feature more this season.

 

The defense will have to replace their two leading tacklers from 2012. Tevin Slaughter and Tyson Williams have moved on to play for Eastern Kentucky University. However the cupboard is far from bare. While the 2013 defense might not feature a player as explosive as Slaughter or Williams it does feature a lot of experienced, physical players. The defensive line will be led by Kagen Skidmore and Jacobi Gilmore. Gilmore is an outstanding athlete who missed the majority of last season after a car wreck. He is big at 6'3" 240 pounds and extremely athletic. Skidmore will be a force when in the game but the coaching staff hopes to somewhat limit his snaps due to his importance on offense. Joining those two on the line will be Alex McGuffey, Jarrett Beasley, Andrew Hyzermann, Ron Smallwood and Austin Coomer.

 

The linebacking corps will be headlined by 3 year starter Bryson Jones at inside linebacker. Jones recorded 59 tackles last season to go along with an interception and fumble recovery. The Sam and Will positions look to be manned by seniors Devin Griffith and Tanner Gadberry respectively. Both are very physical, aggressive players. Also figuring into the mix at linebacker will be Zach Thacker, Brycen McWilliams, Chandler Dobbs, Bailey McEnroe, Patrick Ousler and Cannon Williams.

 

The secondary figures to be the deepest and most experience group on the defensive unit. Both starting corners return this season. At one corner will be Addison Thompson. Thompson is an excellent cover corner who also plays the run well. On the other side will be fellow senior Will Lange. Lange is probably the team's best cover corner and is extremely fast. In nickel and dime packages, as well as spelling the starters expect Jordan Doan and Cam Cheuvront to see significant time. Strong safety will feature returning starter Brayden McWilliams while the free safety will likely be Alex Franklin. Logan Gadberry and Castle Hatcher will provide depth at the safety positions.

 

Special teams features a training camp battle at the kicker position. Right now it appears that Alex Franklin has a slight edge over returning starter Chandler Dobbs. Franklin has been more consistent on his kickoffs and extra points. Either is capable of handling the placekicking duties for the Jumpers. The Punter will be returning starter Bryson Jones. Jones had an excellent camp at EKU this summer and has been outstanding so far this summer. The longsnapper duties will be handled by Bailey McEnroe or Castle Hatcher.

 

The schedule will have the Briar Jumpers ready for the playoffs again this season. Although it features only 9 games, plenty of quality opponents await the Purple and Gold. Somerset opens up with crosstown rival, and a defending 5A District Champion, Pulaski County in the Ray Correll Bowl at Somerset. That is followed by 3 consecutive road trips to play 3 time defending 3A State Runner-Up Belfry in the Pike County Bowl, another crosstown rivalry matchup with 5A Southwestern and finally 1A contender Hazard. The Briar Jumpers then return home to play 2A power Glasgow before hitting the road once again to travel to 5A Letcher County Central. The Jumpers then have an off week before concluding the regular season with district games with Danville, Lexington Christian Academy and a much improved Middlesboro team. If Somerset can survive that slate with their health intact they will have a bye week before entering the playoffs. Once there they have the experience and talent to make another deep run in the 2A playoffs. Hopefully this on will conclude with a trip to Bowling Green and a chance to bring home that elusive State Championship.

 

 

Players To Watch

 

Kagen Skidmore, Sr. LT/DT Skidmore is a 3 year starter on the offensive and defensive lines. He's already received an offer from Eastern Kentucky and interest from several FBS schools. He'll anchor both the offensive and defensive lines.

 

Cam Cheuvront, Sr. WR/KR/CB Cheuvront is a burner with a great vertical leap. He led the team in receiving last season and is a dangerous kick returner. He was the Class A State Champion in the 100M in the spring and can go the distance every time he touches the football.

 

Will Lange, SR. RB/WR/KR/CB Lange was Somerset's leading rusher last season. This season expect him to be used in the backfield as well as at wide receiver. Another burner he pairs with Cheuvront to make a dangerous kick return tandem.

 

Castle Hatcher, SO QB/SS Hatcher will be the quarterback after sharing duty with Tanner Gadberry as a freshman. He threw for 771 yards and 10 touchdowns on on 80 attempts last season. Expect him to approach 2000 yards this season. He's also a running threat.

 

Tanner Gadberry, SR ATH/LB After mainly seeing time at quarterback the past 2 seasons expect to see Gadberry all over the field on offense. He will play quarterback, fullback and tight end. On defense he will man the Will Linebacker position.

 

Bryson Jones, SR FB/LB/P Jones will be in his 3rd season as a starter and will be expected to lead the defense. He is also a very effective fullback and punter.

Good Job Joe :thumb:

Very nice.

Thanks guys.

Awesome work AJG! :thumb:

 

How big is Skidmore?

Awesome work AJG! :thumb:

 

How big is Skidmore?

 

6'2" in the 280 range. I'm not sure what he is weighing this summer.

^ Thanks :thumb:

^ Thanks :thumb:

 

Shondue can probably give you an up to date weight, 40 time and shuttle run. He's going to be very good, I'm not sure he's finished growing and he'll definitely fill out a little bit more. My son plays at EKU and he says that they really, really want him but it won't surprise me at all if he ends up at a FBS school.

Currently he is at 6'1.5" (barefoot, heels to the wall) and 290lbs but has been between 285-298lbs all summer. Kagen ran a 5.35 40 at UC this summer and his shuttle time was sub 5.0 as well. His max bench is 400 plus and max squat is 650 plus. He has had a very productive off season going to a dozen or so camps and staying very active in the weight room too. He has of course interest from EKU and UK but also UC, Vandy, Wofford, UL, Centre, and several MAC schools as well.

Great Job on article.

Thanks for the great article, AJG. Well done. :thumb:

Nice write-up Joe, hopefully we can get together again in November for another Breds/Jumpers "tilt".